By Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-04)
In Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, we have more Social Security recipients than 87 percent of Congressional districts nationwide. When I was back home in Oregon, I held nine town halls where I heard from seniors sharing the same message over and over again: they are scared about losing their Social Security benefits.
They’re scared because Social Security is not a luxury. It pays for essentials like housing, prescriptions, and groceries. In America, no senior should have to choose between paying rent or buying the medications they need to survive.
But what I heard most from seniors was not just their fears—it was a sense of betrayal.
Social Security is a benefit seniors have earned. They’ve contributed to Social Security with every paycheck over a lifetime of hard work. Now as they count on those benefits to retire with dignity, they’re facing the possibility that those promises might be broken. Why? Because DOGE-led staff cuts and system tampering are breaking the Social Security Administration’s infrastructure, leading to missed payments and creating obstacles for beneficiaries to get through to anyone to fix the problems. All the while lies are being peddled to undermine faith in the program by the general public.
This is wrong and unacceptable.
Representative Jan Schakowsky, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and I believe it is our duty to fight to protect this earned benefit, and that's why we have introduced the Social Security Expansion Act (H.R. 1700 and S.770). This bill increases benefits by at least $2,400 a year for all recipients, and it extends the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund by 75 years without asking 91 percent of Americans to pay a single cent more in taxes.
How? By finally requiring millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share into the system. Right now, someone earning $176,100 a year pays the same amount into Social Security as someone making $1.5 million. That’s not fair. And it’s not sustainable.
We owe it to every senior who played by the rules, worked hard, and contributed to this country to protect what they’ve earned. But we also owe it to future generations—to our kids and grandkids—who deserve the same basic promise: that after a lifetime of work, they won’t be left behind.
This is about more than policy. It’s about values. In America, we take care of our own—especially those who have taken care of us. Seniors who built this country should not be treated as burdens; they are the foundation of our communities, and they deserve respect, security, and peace of mind in retirement.
The Social Security Expansion Act is a step toward restoring that promise. I will keep fighting until it's law.
Because our promises are worth keeping. Because dignity in retirement should never be up for debate.
