373,000 Petition Congress: Repay Our Social Security Trust Fund

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Seniors Center announces more than 373,000 Americans have signed their Trust Fund Emergency Petition to date. The nonprofit senior's advocacy organization is well on its way to reaching its goal of 1,000,000 petitions.

The Seniors Center and a grassroots army of activists have collected 373,546 signatures from 49 states and 433 Congressional districts.  Online activists have taken to social media to help The Seniors Center reach its goal.

"We're seeing comments on Facebook and Twitter–even Pinterest," said Dan Perrin, President of The Seniors Center.  "In the last month, over 1,000 people have left comments online and we're getting hundreds of new signatures every day.  A lot of these people have never participated in grassroots advocacy.  Now they're making their voices heard with passion."

The Trust Fund Emergency Petition to Congress is the cornerstone campaign of The Seniors Center's push to dramatically change the way the federal government handles Social Security investment and financing.  Signers seek to change the laws requiring Social Security surplus funds be invested in Treasury bills and to redeem and return these funds to a physical trust account for retirees.

The petition calls on Congress to pass legislation making three critical changes to Social Security:

• Create a trust account in the truest sense in which all payroll contributions are deposited for the payment of Social Security retirement benefits;
• End the practice of borrowing from Social Security surplus funds to finance general expenditures, ensuring FICA payroll contributions are solely used for the payment of benefits;
• Legally require the United States Treasury to begin accelerated payment of funds taken from Social Security.

"While the huge response we're receiving is exciting, I can't say it's surprising," said Perrin. "This year, the Trustees announced yet again we're on a course toward harsh benefit cuts if we don't do something to secure the Trust Fund.  Social Security beneficiaries are fighting back. They won't be ignored."

Perrin adds this petition drive is just part of The Seniors Center's grassroots work to mobilize members of the public and motivate their elected officials to enact positive change for beneficiaries.  The organization recently introduced a campaign to ask every sitting member of Congress for their pledge to support legislation to avoid the shortfalls that are causing the Trustees to project a 25% benefit cut to Social Security.

"Many of our supporters are retirees and soon-to-retire.  They don't want to find out what happens to their financial security if Congress sweeps this under the rug until it's too late.  They demand action now."

The organization will continue to focus on reaching their one million-signature goal and reaching brand new supporters across the country. 

Click here to sign The Seniors Center's Trust Fund Emergency Petition or to get involved, please visit http://www.TheSeniors.Center.

The Seniors Center is a program of Our Generation, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization.  For more information, contact The Seniors Center at (202) 754-8542.

SOURCE The Seniors Center