news

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today hosted a roundtable with community senior advocates and social security recipients at the Van Buren Senior Center in recognition of the 89th anniversary of Social Security. She was joined by representatives from The Senior Alliance, PACE, Washtenaw County Commission on Aging, and others. 

“Social Security was created on the promise that no American will grow poor into retirement - a promise of economic security and dignity after a lifetime of hard work, and a promise to make sure no one is left behind as they age,” Dingell said. “Today we discussed many of the serious issues impacting seniors including safe and affordable housing, hunger, access to transportation, and loneliness. Everyone who joined us today is committed to working together to raise awareness of these issues, support seniors, and make sure there are resources available that are responsive to their needs. As we celebrate its 89th anniversary, I will continue to fight in Congress to protect Social Security programs, and will continue to look out for the wellbeing of aging Americans, today and for generations to come.”

More than 2.3 million people in Michigan rely on Social Security programs. Co-authored by Rep. Dingell’s father-in-law John Dingell Sr., and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, Social Security is the primary source of retirement income for two out of three retirees, and millions of families depend on the program for disability or benefits after the loss of a loved one.
 
As co-chair of the Expand Social Security Caucus and Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families, Rep. Dingell has long been an advocate for strengthening and expanding Social Security. She introduced the Social Security 2100 Act with her colleagues to provide an across-the-board benefit increase for the first time in more than 50 years, improve the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) that currently penalizes many public servants, and improve customer service at the Social Security Administration. 
 
View photos from the event here.