DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNC Senior Council Chair Steve Regenstreif issued the following statement marking the 89th anniversary of the signing of legislation that established Social Security:

“When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the historic legislation to establish Social Security, he helped fulfill our country’s promise to hardworking families and kept millions of Americans out of poverty. 89 years later, this vital program has allowed seniors to retire with dignity and peace of mind, and it has provided millions of children and Americans with disabilities a crucial financial lifeline. Social Security is a bedrock of financial stability in America, and Democrats are committed to fighting every day to ensure workers can retire with the same independence and safety offered to their parents and grandparents. 

“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have worked tirelessly to protect Social Security. As a senator, Vice President Harris cosponsored the Social Security Expansion Act, and this year, the Biden-Harris administration proposed a budget to extend Social Security’s solvency while protecting and improving access to benefits. 

“As Democrats fight to defend Social Security, extreme MAGA Republicans have spent years trying to gut these vital benefits. Donald Trump proposed cuts to Social Security in every single one of his budget proposals as president, and praised calls to privatize the program. His extreme MAGA running mate, JD Vance, has called programs like Social Security the ‘biggest roadblock’ to ‘fiscal sanity’ and called to cut spending on benefits. 

“This election, Social Security is on the ballot. Americans face a choice between protecting the future of this vital program, or allowing extreme Republicans to gut Social Security and put the well-being of American families at risk. This November, it’s critical that we elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to preserve Social Security and ensure all Americans are secure in their future.”