That’s the way the email from Social Security Works began, “Just before Congress left for the holidays, Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) introduced the ‘Social Security Reform Act’ – an impressive wish list of devastating Social Security cuts and upper-income tax breaks.

“Our friends at the Economic Policy Institute Policy Center have crunched the numbers on the Johnson plan, and they are even scarier than we thought.

“More than 2/3s of beneficiaries would see, on average, a 27% cut in benefits. This includes:

• Raising the retirement age to 69 (equivalent to a 13.5 percent across-the-board cut)
• Changing the benefit formula (9 percent average cut)
• Slashing the cost-of-living adjustment (13 percent average cut)
• Some long-lived beneficiaries could see cuts of up to 74 percent!
• Eliminates the taxation of benefits on high earners–giving a tax cut to those who need it least while reducing revenue back into the Social Security trust fund

Sign the petition today demanding that Congress reject the Johnson plan. A bill that “reforms” Social Security wouldn’t destroy Social Security’s promise to current and future generations.

+-The Johnson bill disproportionately hurts women and low-income workers who had employment gaps due to caregiving and unemployment. And it hurts those who had uneven earnings during their wage-earning years.

Here’s the crazy part: Rep. Johnson says his plan ensures the long-term health of Social Security’s trust fund–but it does this by cutting benefits by an average of 27% per person. Yet even in the worst-case scenario for Social Security, in which the wealthiest Americans don’t pay their fair share, Social Security can still pay 79% of promised benefits. Rep. Johnson’s bill cuts benefits by 27% to ensure that there isn’t a 21% cut a few decades from now.

Together we must stand together against Republican attempts to destroy Social Security.

Thank you,

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works