Washington, D.C. – DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the 80th Anniversary of Social Security:

“Eighty years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, creating a promise that elderly Americans would be guaranteed an opportunity to retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work.

“The creation of Social Security established a commitment by the American people that has grown stronger over time. Thirty years later, President Lyndon Johnson expanded on this promise, creating Medicare and Medicaid to ensure access to health care for seniors and those in need. Five years ago, President Obama and Democrats further solidified these promises by passing the Affordable Care Act.

“Republicans are determined to undermine a program that has worked for the last eight decades. Presidential candidates like Rand Paul and Chris Christie have suggested raising the retirement age, pushing the prospect of a secure retirement further out of reach for many Americans. Jeb Bush supported his brother’s plan to partially privatize Social Security, putting Americans at risk of losing their retirement savings with the ups and downs of Wall Street. And just this week John Kasich suggested his plan would cut benefits for Baby Boomers – who are already nearing retirement age and counting on the Social Security benefits they’ve earned.

“Since the Social Security Act was passed, the American people have held up their end of the bargain, working hard and pitching in so that their neighbors would not be left behind. Our leaders should be working on ways to fulfill and build on that promise, not looking for excuses to break it. As a representative of one of the largest pools of Social Security recipients in the United States, count me squarely on the side of strengthening this vital program.

“The Democratic Party has demonstrated our firm commitment to Social Security for the last eighty years, and it’s one among many reasons why the American people will elect a Democrat as the 45th President of the United States.”