Chained CPI would cut benefits to millions of children

The chained CPI won't just mean a benefit cut for seniors. More than four million children receive Social Security benefits because one or both of their parents are disabled, retired or deceased. Those benefits provide essential monthly income for many struggling families. For many children, like Rep. Paul Ryan, it means the chance to get a college education. And the chained CPI would affect them, too.

One underappreciated point is that Social Security benefits millions of children and working-age Americans, as well as older adults. According to calculations of census data performed by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Washington research group, Social Security keeps about 21 million Americans above the poverty line every year. About a third of those people are younger than retirement age, and about 1.1 million of them are under age 18. [...]

[R]eductions in Social Security benefits would mean reductions in family incomes, including those of millions of families with children. And children who qualify for Social Security benefits because they have a disabled, deceased or retired parent or guardian would see slower-growing benefits too.

When even more and more working families are falling into poverty, and income inequality is increasing, cutting out one more avenue of support for struggling families, for children, in the name of deficit reduction is just wrong.

Send an email to President Obama and congressional leadership telling them to strengthen Social Security instead of cutting it.