April 13, 2011
The Honorable Bill Huizenga
1217 Longworth Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Huizenga,
During a recent episode of NPR’s Morning Edition, you said that “…we have to change the system…” because Social Security won’t be able to survive.
However, this is not the case. The Social Security trustees’ projections show that Social Security will maintain full solvency through the year 2037. Even if Congress never makes any changes to the program, Social Security will always be able to pay close to 80 percent of scheduled benefits from then on. This means that when you retire in 2036, you will receive $39,674 a year (in 2010 dollars). After 2037, you would still receive $29,755 a year in Social Security benefits for the rest of your life.
As the discussion over Social Security continues, I hope you and your staff will have the opportunity to further review the design and finances of Social Security. If you would like any additional background on the program, I would be happy to assist you.
