Our Anthem

It's not too early — it's the right time.

Social Security's Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund is projected to be depleted during 2033, at which point incoming payroll taxes would pay about 77% of scheduled benefits if Congress does not act. That gap is not because the government failed to repay what it borrowed — the Trust Fund balance is what the government owes, and repayment is happening right now as the fund pays benefits. The gap is because we are living longer and have fewer workers per beneficiary than when the system was last fixed in 1983.

In 1983, Congress and President Reagan acted when the fund was weeks from missing checks. The fix — a mix of revenue increases and benefit adjustments, including gradually raising the full retirement age from 65 to 67 — was signed in April 1983 but phased in over 39 years, giving workers time to plan. If we wait until 2032-33, there is no time left for a slow phase-in, and the correction has to be sharper and concentrated on fewer generations.

SaveSocialSecurity2101 believes we should not wait. We support a bipartisan, 1983-style process now — before automatic cuts — that protects current retirees, preserves Social Security for our children and grandchildren, and restores long-term solvency. Born in 1949, I have seen Social Security work for my generation. I want it to work for the next one.

For Our Children and Grandchildren — Why This Is Your Fight Too

If you were born after 1990, Social Security has always been "going broke" in the headlines. Here is what that actually means.

The Trust Fund built up after the 1983 fix — peaking at $2.9 trillion — is the money we set aside for our retirement. That money is being paid back to us now, with interest tied to public Treasury bond rates. When that IOU is gone, projected during 2033 for the retirement fund, Social Security does not disappear. Payroll taxes from workers like you will still come in, but under current law they would only cover about 77% of scheduled benefits.

The 1983 generation fixed this when my generation was in our 30s. They raised the full retirement age from 65 to 67, but they started the change in 2000 and finished it in 2022 — a 39-year heads-up. We could plan.

If Congress waits until 2032 to act, you will not get that heads-up. A fix done at the last minute has to be immediate: a larger tax increase or a larger benefit change, all at once, falling on fewer workers and retirees.

Acting now means you get what we got — time. Time to phase in changes gradually, to protect low earners, to let you plan for retirement knowing what Social Security will be. This is not about saving our checks, though it does. It is about saving the promise that when you have paid in for 35 or 45 years, it will be there for you.

That is why we started SaveSocialSecurity2101. 2101 is the year my grandchildren will be our age. We are asking Congress not for a specific bill, but for a bipartisan process now — like the Greenspan Commission in 1983 — that restores 75-year solvency before the automatic cut.

If you are 25, 35, or 45, this is the best time to be heard. Tell your representative you want a fix before 2033, not at 2033.