enormous interest to, i think, almost every american, and that is the future of social security in our country. and let me thank all of our panelists for being with us. and let me thank the senators with i know will be filtering in as the hearing progresses. my understanding is that ranking member lindsey graham has a scheduling conflict and will be making his opening statement after our witnesses testify. is that right? ok. social security is, i think, as everybody knows, one of the most popular and successful government programs in the history of our nation. for more than 80 years in good times and bad, social security has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible american, on time and without delay. i think that s important to make that point we live in a moment of great insecurity. and yet social security, since its inception, has never failed the american people and remains a program enormously important to them and one they can rely upon. not once over more than eig
next, the senate budget committee looking at preserves social security. some senators and witnesses argue the tax code should be more fair and the wealthiest americans need to pay more into the system. others think social security needs to be on more secure financial ground before expanding benefits. the hearing is two hours. sen. sanders: today we have a hearing on a subject that s of enormous interest to, i think, almost every american, and that is the future of social security in our country. and let me thank all of our panelists for being with us. and let me thank the senators with i know will be filtering in as the hearing progresses. my understanding is that ranking member lindsey graham has a scheduling conflict and will be making his opening statement after our witnesses testify. is that right? ok. social security is, i think, as everybody knows, one of the most popular and successful government programs in the history of our nation. for more than 80 years in good tim
sen. sanders: today we have a hearing on a subject that s of enormous interest to, i think, almost every american, and that is the future of social security in our country. and let me thank all of our panelists for being with us. and let me thank the senators with i know will be filtering in as the hearing progresses. my understanding is that ranking member lindsey graham has a scheduling conflict and will be making his opening statement after our witnesses testify. is that right? ok. social security is, i think, as everybody knows, one of the most popular and successful government programs in the history of our nation. for more than 80 years in good times and bad, social security has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible american, on time and without delay. i think that s important to make that point we live in a moment of great insecurity. and yet social security, since its inception, has never failed the american people and remains a program enormously important to
sen. sanders: today we have a hearing on a subject that s of enormous interest to, i think, almost every american, and that is the future of social security in our country. and let me thank all of our panelists for being with us. and let me thank the senators with i know will be filtering in as the hearing progresses. my understanding is that ranking member lindsey graham has a scheduling conflict and will be making his opening statement after our witnesses testify. is that right? ok. social security is, i think, as everybody knows, one of the most popular and successful government programs in the history of our nation. for more than 80 years in good times and bad, social security has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible american, on time and without delay. i think that s important to make that point we live in a moment of great insecurity. and yet social security, since its inception, has never failed the american people and remains a program enormously important to
[indiscernible] let s get to work. let me first thank all of our witnesses for being here, we look forward to hearing your testimony or let me think ranking member graham for his cooperation and of the staff. today, we are going to be discussing a very important issue that gets much too little attention in the walls of congress or in the corporate media. that is, a time when everybody knows, the middle class is struggling with people working longer hours, for lower wages, when half of our people live paycheck-to-paycheck, when people cannot afford health care, childcare, finding it hard to fill up their gas tanks. all over this country, there is a growing movement on the part of workers to try to organize and form unions. they understand that, if you have a union, you have better wages, better working conditions, that her benefits. at the same time working people are standing up and fighting back and are interested in joining unions, what you are also seeing that there ar