It has been 37 days since my Republican opponent, medical debt collector Tom Reed, told a Rochester newspaper that he supported denying Social Security benefits using so-called "means testing" and that all options should be on the table – including privatization.
At a time when more Americans than ever are depending on Social Security to keep from falling into poverty, senior citizens here in Western New York and the Southern Tier have been asking where Tom Reed really stands on privatization and cutting benefits.
On Sunday, I publicly called on Mr. Reed to come clean about his position on Social Security - and now we have an answer:
He stands with the national Republican party and the special interests who want to cut Social Security, dismantle it, and turn Americans' retirement security over to Wall Street banks.
This Saturday, the national Republican party in Washington is sending Republican Minority Leader John Boehner to Rochester to prop up Tom Reed's campaign. Boehner is one of the loudest voices in Washington calling for privatization, and has vowed to make it a priority if Republicans take over Congress.
Even though Tom Reed is trying to hide his real views on Social Security, his party leader John Boehner has been outspoken about undermining the program.
Just two months ago, Boehner said he'd favor increasing the Social Security retirement age to 70 for people who have at least 20 years until retirement, tying cost-of-living increases to the consumer price index rather than wage inflation, and limiting payments to those who need them.
And back in 2006, Boehner said he’d push to privatize Social Security if he the Republicans took over Congress. "If I'm around in a leadership role come January, we're going to get serious about it."
The last time they controlled Congress, Republicans and George W. Bush tried to privatize Social Security - and if they had succeeded, millions of Americans would have lost everything when the stock market collapsed at the end of the Bush Administration.
We need to work together to protect and strengthen Social Security by rebuilding our economy and enacting a permanent ban on raiding the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for government spending. Now that we know where Tom Reed really stands, please join my team today and help me fight to protect Social Security from privatization and benefit cuts.