FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5th, 2018
Contact: Linda Benesch, lbenesch@socialsecurityworks.org

Ivanka Trump and Marco Rubio Want to Cut Your Social Security as the Price for Caring for Your Newborn

(Washington, DC) — The following is a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, in reaction to reports that Sen. Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trump are considering a plan to require people to accept a cut in their future Social Security benefits if they choose to take six weeks of paid parental leave:

“It’s well past time for our country to join the rest of the world in providing workers with paid family and medical leave. But we should not undermine our retirement security to achieve it. In light of the decline of traditional pensions and the proven inadequacy of 401(k) plans for everyone but the wealthiest, Social Security’s modest benefits will be even more important in the future.

We are the wealthiest nation in the world at the wealthiest moment in our history. Our country can afford to increase, not cut, Social Security’s modest benefits, while also adding paid family and medical leave. Other less-wealthy nations have those benefits. We can too if we simply require the wealthiest among us to pay more to our commonwealth (i.e., “common wealth”) from which they have benefited so enormously.”