III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 819 

Affirming the commitment of the Senate to protect and expand the Social 

Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 

Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, 

Ms. WARREN, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. 

MARKEY, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. MURPHY, 

Mr. REED, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. KELLY, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. 

SMITH, Mr. KAINE, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. LUJA ́N, Mr. WARNOCK, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. PETERS, Mr. MERKLEY, and 

Mr. BENNET) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Finance 

RESOLUTION 

Affirming the commitment of the Senate to protect and 

expand the Social Security and Supplemental Security 

Income programs. 

Whereas Social Security has served as a cornerstone of economic security for millions of individuals in the United 

States since the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et 

seq.) was signed into law by President Franklin Delano 

Roosevelt in 1935, when he declared, ‘‘It is, in short, a 

law that will take care of human needs and at the same 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 819 IS 

time provide the United States an economic structure of 

vastly greater soundness’’; 

Whereas the Social Security system of the United States ensures basic retirement security and financial stability, 

provides disability insurance that helps keep disabled 

workers and their families afloat in case of work-limiting 

disability, and ensures continued support of survivors; 

Whereas, with the establishment of the Supplemental Security Income program, signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972, Congress built upon the bedrock 

protections included in the Social Security Act (42 

U.S.C. 301 et seq.), assuring ‘‘that elderly, blind, and 

disabled people would no longer subsist on below-poverty 

incomes’’ and disabled and older workers, whose health 

prevents them from attaining the work history needed for 

protection under Social Security, are able to maintain 

basic dignity; 

Whereas Social Security is an earned benefit that workers in 

the United States pay into with each paycheck, providing 

a guaranteed level of financial stability in retirement that 

cannot be assured with private pensions or personal assets alone; 

Whereas proposals to fundamentally weaken the funding or 

guaranteed benefits of Social Security include— 

(1) shifting Social Security to a discretionary program; 

(2) raising the retirement age; 

(3) privatizing the Trust Funds; and 

(4) eventually ending the Social Security program 

altogether; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 819 IS 

Whereas data from the Bureau of the Census indicates 

that— 

(1) without Social Security benefits more than 

20,000,000 more individuals in the United States would 

live in poverty; and 

(2) approximately 1 in 4 individuals aged 65 and 

older in the United States have little to no income aside 

from Social Security; and 

Whereas more than 70,000,000 seniors, people with disabilities, their dependents, and the dependents of deceased 

workers rely on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income to meet basic needs and live in dignity: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate, in recognition of the long 

2 history of the Social Security system of the United States 

3 assuring basic financial security for millions of workers 

4 and families— 

5 (1) celebrates the economic stability Social Se6 curity has provided for generations of families in the 

7 United States; 

8 (2) affirms that Social Security is a solemn 

9 promise to the people of the United States that 

10 should be upheld for generations to come; and 

11 (3) believes Social Security and Supplemental 

12 Security Income should continue to be mandatory 

13 spending, so as not to jeopardize the certainty and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 819 IS 

1 the financial security that the people of the United 

2 States have come to expect. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS