On 90th Anniversary, Trump White House Has Put Social Security In More Danger Than Ever Before

Signed in 1935, the Social Security Act Created American Retirement as We Know It

LAS VEGAS – Today marks the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, among the most transformational social safety net programs this country has ever seen. Today, Social Security benefits roughly 70 million Americans every year, including 8 million receiving disability benefits, nearly 6 million receiving survivor benefits. Social Security has also lifted more than 22 million Americans out of poverty, including nearly 1 million children. 

In Nevada, more than 607,000 people receive Social Security benefits, including nearly 500,000 over the age of 65.

Now, more than ever, Social Security is under threat. The Social Security retirement trust fund is set to run out in 2033. Yet Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this summer that the administration is actively attempting to privatize the program. Backdoor cuts, including cutting 20 percent of Social Security field staff, have made it needlessly harder for Americans to get the benefits they are owed.  

Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress, issued the following statement: 

“Today, Social Security is at the point of no return. Faced with a fiscal crisis, Republicans have abdicated their duty to the American people. Given the opportunity to make Social Security solvent, the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans would rather let Wall Street loot American retirements than solve the problem the only way we can: Taxing billionaires like they deserve to be taxed. The narrative that 'waste, fraud and abuse’ have hobbled Social Security is a fiction, one that flies in the face of the fact that less than one percent of all payouts are improper. Now, on its 90th anniversary, Nevadans deserve to know why Gov. Joe Lombardo is so willing to stand with Trump instead of protecting their retirement.” 

SPOKESPEOPLE ARE AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH

###

About Battle Born Progress: Battle Born Progress, through strategic communication efforts, empowers, engages and mobilizes Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. We support, engage, and mobilize the progressive community through bold leadership, strategic communications, accountability, and education. We are on the cutting edge of new media and are the go-to source for progressive issues and advocacy for traditional media.