SENATOR LINCOLN’S RECORD OF STANDING UP FOR SOCIAL SECURITY

Senator Lincoln has consistently fought to ensure that government keeps its promise to working Americans that Social Security will be there for them in their golden years. As the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Social Security Subcommittee, Senator Lincoln has fought for Arkansas seniors, making clear that she will not support a reduction in benefits, privatization, and increases on Social Security taxes for working Arkansans.

Helping Seniors in Tough Economic Times

As Chair of Social Security Subcommittee, Senator Lincoln Developed Plan to Aid Seniors Not Receiving Cost of Living Increase. As the chair of the Senate Finance Committee’s Social Security Subcommittee, Senator Lincoln announced a plan to help the 637,000 Arkansans who will not receive a Social Security Cost of Living Increase in 2010.  Her plan would provide economic relief payments of $250 to compensate Arkansans. [Lincoln Press Release, 10/29/2009]

Protecting Funding for Social Security

Senator Lincoln Has Voted at Least 21 Times to Protect Social Security And Extend It’s Solvency. [2005 Senate Vote #47, 46; 2003 Senate Vote #201, 147, 93, 58; 2002 Senate Vote #27; 2001 Senate Vote #221, 137, 22; 2000 Senate Vote #192, 198, 162; 1999 Senate Vote #314, 236, 229, 228, 82, 81, 59; 1995 House Vote #40]

Fighting Against Privatization

Senator Lincoln Has Repeatedly Opposed Republican Attempts to Privatize Social Security. [Senate Vote #65, 3/13/2008; Senate Vote #89, 3/22/2007; Senate Vote #68, 3/16/2006; Senate Vote #49, 3/15/2005; Senate Vote #60, 3/24/1999]

As President Bush Prepared to Take His Privatization Plan to the People of Arkansas, Lincoln Stood in Opposition. Lincoln said of President Bush’s plan to divert tax money into personal accounts, “I’m opposed to what the president presumably wants to do.  It puts in jeopardy a program that is vital to the people of Arkansas and is misleading to the young people about what they’re going to end up with.” [New York Times, 2/1/2005]

Lincoln Argued That Working Arkansans Would Disproportionately Bear the Risk of Privatizing Social Security. During a Democratic Policy Committee Hearing on President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security, Sen. Lincoln noted, “50 percent of Arkansans have an adjusted gross income of less than $25,000, and 80 percent of them have an adjusted gross income of less than $50,000…They don’t have the time nor the resources to spend towards investigating and figuring out and becoming economists to invest those dollars…They’re the ones that are going to be subjected to more risk, and they’re the ones that need it the least, in terms of risk.” [Hearing of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, 5/13/2005]

On Anniversary of Social Security, Lincoln Toured Cities in Arkansas to Promote Opposition to Privatization. On the 70^th anniversary of Social Security in 2005, Sen. Lincoln visited four cities in Arkansas where “she criticized President Bush’s plan to partly privatize the pension program…Meaningful reforms to shore up the federal entitlement program won’t advance in Congress until privatization is off the table, Lincoln said.” [Associated Press, 8/2/2005]

Lincoln Co-Authored Letter to President Bush Expressing Concern Over Privatization Plan. In 2005, Sen. Lincoln, along with 8 other Democratic Women Senators, authored a letter to President Bush expressing “their deep concern over news reports outlining President Bush’s intention to include survivor benefit cuts in his Social Security privatization plan.” [Senator Patty Murray Press Release, 5/12/2005]