Social Security: What’s at Stake

Generations United

AARP

Social Security: More Than a Retirement Program

Did you know that 1 out of 3 Social Security recipients today are under the age of 65?

Social Security is much more than a retirement program – it provides essential protections for workers and their families. Learn the facts about how important Social Security is for your entire family with the new Generations United report.


Social Security: What’s at Stake

In the report

Congressman Paul Ryan

On the day of Congressman Paul Ryan’s birth in 1970,
President Richard Nixon unveiled a federal budget
proposal that included a large increase in Social Security
payments. As a teenager, Social Security would later play
an important role in the personal life of Representative
Ryan (R-WI).

At the age of 16, Ryan’s father died unexpectedly from a
heart attack. The death left the 10th grader, his three
older siblings, and his mother alone. {rest in the report}

Senator Al Franken

As a freshman in college, Senator Al Franken met his
future wife Franni Bryson at a mixer. They hit it off
immediately and talked for hours. Not long after, she told
him the story of her upbringing. At just 17-months-old,
Franni lost her father – a decorated veteran of WWII –
in a car accident that left her mother widowed with five
kids.

“Sometimes they didn’t have enough food on the table;
sometimes they’d turn off the heat,” Franken says. “They
made it because of Pell Grants and Social Security survivor
benefits. And my mother-in-law and every one of
those five kids became a productive member of society {rest in the report}

Senator Lindsey Graham

For many working families, Social Security provides a
much needed safety net against the tragedies of disability
and death. Senator Lindsey Graham grew up in a family
of modest means in Central, South Carolina.16 The first
member of his family to attend college, he joined the
Reserve Officers Training Corps marking his entry into
national service.

Several years into his studies, Graham’s family faced a double
tragedy. “When I was 21, my mom died,” he said. “She
was 52.”17 The following year at age 69, his father passed
away unexpectedly from a heart attack.

As a college student, he and his thirteen-years-old sister
depended on their recently deceased parents’ Social
Security benefits.18 At the time of her parents’ passing,
Graham’s sister Darlene moved in with an aunt and uncle
who lived on modest wages from a textile mill. 19 Over the
next ten years, Social Security survivor benefits helped
feed, clothe, and educate Darlene while Graham completed
college and law school. Once his law career got off the
ground, Graham became her legal guardian. {rest in the report}

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

As an advocate for families, Congresswoman Jan
Schakowsky (D-IL) has been a steadfast defender of
Social Security. She knows survivor benefits epitomize
the role that Social Security plays as an insurance program
for all generations.

In 2005, Schakowsky’s son Ian lost his wife Fiona after a
yearlong struggle with cancer. “People just loved Fiona,”
Schakowsky said. “She was just fun to be with and
thoughtful . . . a fabulous mother and a friend to many.”
The children, Eve and William, who were very young at
the time qualified for Social Security survivor benefits.
“Social Security is a program not often seen as a family
support, but I can tell you that the benefits my grandchildren
get are very helpful to my family,” she said. {rest in the report}