(C) Common Dreams This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Organizational Letter to Oppose a Social Security Debt Commission [1] [] Date: 2023-11 November 8, 2023 Dear Senator/Representative: The undersigned organizations write in strong opposition to the formation of a debt commission which has been promoted during the ongoing debate around government funding. The White House has accurately described such a commission as a “death panel” for Social Security. It is imperative to understand that Social Security does not add a penny to the federal debt. It has its own dedicated revenue, cannot spend a penny unless it has sufficient dedicated revenue to cover the cost of all benefits and associated administrative costs, and has no borrowing authority. Social Security provides working families with invaluable insurance against the loss of wages in the event of death, disability, and old age. It is essential to its nearly 67 million beneficiaries. It is especially important to women, people with disabilities, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and others who have been disadvantaged in the workforce. All of the options for eliminating Social Security’s projected shortfall, manageable in size and still a decade away, are fully understood. In this Congress alone, several legislative proposals that do just that have been introduced with numerous cosponsors. The only reason to make changes to Social Security via a closed-door commission is to cut already modest earned benefits — something the American people overwhelmingly oppose — while avoiding political accountability. As currently structured, the commission’s recommendations would have priority over other legislative business, and they would have to be considered without amendment. Moreover, if this vote is required to occur right after the upcoming election, incumbents running for re-election will be able to deny their support of highly unpopular and unwise cuts to hard working Americans’ earned benefits — and then vote for those cuts in the lame duck Congress. Some have made statements comparing this commission to the so-called Greenspan commission that preceded the enactment of the Social Security Amendments of 1983. However, they are nothing alike. The Greenspan commission recommendations were nothing more than recommendations. What was ultimately proposed and considered by Congress went through regular order, with committee hearings and the ability to amend and debate, both in committee and on the floor of both the House and Senate. Indeed, the late Robert M. Ball—who represented then-Speaker Tip O’Neill both on the commission and in negotiating the Social Security package with the Reagan White House—was so concerned that the Greenspan commission might be invoked to force another commission at a later date, that he requested, literally on his deathbed, that the following warning be published. In his words, “[t]o suggest that the Greenspan Commission provides a model for resolving questions about Social Security’s future would be laughable if it were not so dangerous.” Congress should not abdicate its responsibility to make hard choices through regular order by hiding behind a fiscal commission. Congress already has a process to confront the federal debt. That process is known as reconciliation. Revealingly, Social Security cuts are excluded from the reconciliation procedure, because, as previously stated,the program is totally self-funded, cannot pay benefits or associated costs without the revenue to cover the costs, has no borrowing authority, and, therefore, does not add a penny to the deficit. Consequently, if a debt commission with jurisdiction over Social Security were to be formed,its purpose would be clear: to cut its modest benefits, while avoiding political accountability. In short, we consider support for a debt commission to be support for cutting Social Security. We urge you to decline to do so. Thank you for considering our views. Sincerely, ACA Consumer Advocacy AFL-CIO AFSCME AFT Washington Retiree Chapter 8045R Alliance for Retired Americans American Family Voices American Federation of Government Employees American Federation of Musicians American Federation of Teachers American Federation of Teachers, Washington American Postal Workers Union Arkansas Community Organizations Beta Cell Action Blue Future BOWL PAC California Alliance for Retired Americans Campaign for America’s Future Center for Common Ground Center For Economic And Policy Research Center for Popular Democracy Church World Service Citizen Action of New York Coalition on Human Needs Communications Workers of America Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces Consumer Action District Eight National Alliance of Postal & Federal Employees Doctors for America Economic Opportunity Institute Economic Policy Institute Equality Federation Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research Generations United Goddard Riverside-NYC Health Care for America Now Healthcare for All Minnesota Healthcare is a Human Right – Washington Indivisible International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees International Brotherhood of Boilermakers International Brotherhood of Teamsters International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Justice for All Network Justice in Aging Labor Campaign for Single Payer Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy Long Island Center for Independent Living, Inc. Massachusetts Senior Action Council Metro New York Health Care for All Michigan People’s Campaign Michigan United Midtown South Community Council MomsRising MoveOn National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare National Employment Law Project National Federation of Federal Employees National LGBTQ Task Force National Organization for Women National Partnership for Women & Families National Postal Mail Handlers Union National Union of Healthcare Workers National Women’s Law Center NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice New Mexico AFSCME Retirees New Mexico Alliance for Retired Americans North Seattle Progressives Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition NY Statewide Senior Action Council NYS Alliance for Retired Americans Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of Charity of New York One Payer States Our Revolution P Street Pacific Islander Health Board of WA Painters and Allied Trades International Union People’s Action Physicians for a National Health Program Physicians for a National Health Program – NY Metro Chapter Physicians for a National Health Program – Washington Progress America Progressive Democrats of America PSARA Education Fund Public Citizen Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action Revolving Door Project Rise Up WV SEIU 521 Social Security Works Strengthen Social Security Coalition Swing Left Bakersfield, CA Tennessee Health Care Campaign The Other 98% Lab The People United Transportation Trades Department U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph United Mine Workers of America Unity Fellowship of Christ Church-NYC Upper East Side for Change Upper West Side Action Group: MoveOn/Indivisible/SwingLeft Utility Workers Union of America VOCAL-NY Washington CAN We the 45 Million West Virginia Citizen Action [END] --- [1] Url: https://socialsecurityworks.org/letters/organizational-letter-to-oppose-a-social-security-debt-commission/ Published and (C) by Common Dreams Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0.. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/