{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.coons.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-coons-durbin-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-initiate-congressional-action-to-save-social-security/", "Senator Coons, Durbin, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill to initiate congressional action to save Social Security", "2026-07-29", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "DE", "Christopher A. Coons", "C001088", "www.coons.senate.gov", "coons", "https://www.coons.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bill Cassidy (D-La.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Angus King (I-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Alan Armstrong (R-Okla.) introduced the Protecting Retirement and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act. This legislation follows the annual report from the Social Security Board of Trustees, which found that the Social Security Trust Fund will only cover 78 percent of benefits in 2032\u2014meaning that Americans who rely on the program will have their benefits reduced by 22 percent if Congress does not act.\n\n\u201cCongress has talked for years about the need to shore up Social Security so that Americans who have spent decades paying into the program can count on it to be there for their retirement,\u201d said Senator Coons. \u201cSenator Durbin understands that now is the time to turn that talk into action, and he has created a real, bipartisan process to force Congress to get serious and find a solution. I\u2019m proud to cosponsor this bill and help find a solution to save Social Security.\u201d\n\n\u201cHere is our chance to agree on a bipartisan process to rescue Social Security this year,\u201d said Senator Durbin. \u201cOur bipartisan proposal opens Congress to debate this issue in a transparent, fair, and bipartisan way. We were elected to solve problems\u2014and there\u2019s no greater problem than the solvency and future of Social Security.\u201d\n\n\u201cMillions of Americans rely on Social Security to live. In 6 years, those families will see a 22% cut to their benefits if Congress doesn\u2019t act. Our plan starts the process of preserving promised benefits for current retirees and the next generation of Americans,\u201d said Senator Cassidy.\n\n\u201cFor nearly a century, Social Security has been a lifeline that allows Americans to retire with dignity. Congress should not wait around until the last minute to shore up this critical program and prevent broad-based benefit cuts upon Trust Fund depletion,\u201d said Senator Kaine. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m joining a bipartisan group of my colleagues in introducing legislation that will encourage Congress to roll up its sleeves and find a path forward to ensure current and future generations of retirees and their families are able to receive the benefits they have earned and which they are owed.\u201d\n\n\u201cSocial Security is on an unsustainable path that will lead to dramatic benefit cuts for retirees and growing skepticism among workers paying into a program on the brink of insolvency. With each passing year, the menu of options that preserve benefits and limit tax hikes narrows. The modest reforms Congress contemplated in 2010 would have put Social Security on solid footing for 75 years; today, those same reforms would add less than two years to our current runway,\u201d said Senator Tillis. \u201cI won\u2019t pretend there\u2019s consensus on how we solve this, but the math is unforgiving: the longer Congress waits to act, the fewer good options remain, which is why I am proud to support this legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor years, we\u2019ve known that Social Security faces serious long-term financial challenges, yet Congress has repeatedly chosen to look the other way,\u201d said Senator King. \u201cThis legislation creates a bipartisan process to ensure Congress finally does its job. Social Security is a promise millions of Americans have earned through a lifetime of work \u2013 household budgets rely on the timely arrival of these earnings to pay for mortgages, heat, and medications. We have a responsibility to preserve that promise for today\u2019s retirees and for generations to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmericans have paid into Social Security with the expectation that the benefits they earned would provide the foundation for their retirement, and Congress has a responsibility to keep that promise,\u201d said Senator Cornyn. \u201cI\u2019m proud to support this bipartisan plan of action to address Social Security\u2019s rapidly approaching insolvency before it becomes a bigger crisis so Congress is not caught flat-footed and Texans are not left holding the bag.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor the millions Americans who have worked hard, paid into the system, and simply want the security of knowing they can retire with dignity, this is not an abstract fiscal policy debate. The growing financial strain on Social Security can be easy to ignore until it directly threatens someone\u2019s retirement,\u201d said Senator Armstrong. \u201cI\u2019m proud to stand with a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues to tackle tough challenges head-on rather than rely on short-term fixes, and to put Social Security on a lasting, sustainable foundation for current beneficiaries and future generations.\u201d\n\nMore than 70 million Americans receive Social Security benefits. Social Security is a bedrock promise that hard-working Americans paying into the program will earn their retirement and not have to worry about putting food on their table, a roof over their heads, or medicine in their cabinets. However, last month\u2019s Trustees report means that seniors and people with disabilities would have their benefits reduced by $450 per month (based on the average Social Security benefit of $2,071 per month). If Congress does not act, this automatic, across-the-board cut could push more than three million additional seniors and people with disabilities into poverty.\n\nMembers of Congress have introduced several pieces of legislation that would ensure that the Social Security Trust Funds are funded for the next 75 years. Some of these bills have nearly 200 cosponsors, and others are bipartisan and have broad, popular support. However, almost none of them have ever received a vote. Congress should not wait until the Social Security Trust Fund is empty to address this issue when it can act now to protect and strengthen the Social Security Trust Fund for current and future generations.\n\nThe PROMISE Act would create a procedure to initiate Congressional action on Social Security. Specifically, under the senators\u2019 proposal:\n\nThe Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB), an independent, bipartisan advisory committee established to make recommendations to Congress, would transmit a base bill (which must ensure that the Social Security Trust Funds are funded for at least the next 50 years) to Congress.\n\nThe Majority Leaders of the Senate and House would introduce the base bill. If they do not, any Member of Congress could do so.\n\nThe base bill would be referred to the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways & Means Committee. Both committees would have the chance to hold hearings and amend the base bill.\n\nThe Senate Finance Committee and House Ways & Means Committee would report the base bill (as potentially amended). If the Committees do not report the base bill, it automatically would be discharged and placed on the Senate and House calendars.\n\nThe Majority Leaders of the Senate and House would move to proceed to the base bill (as potentially amended). If the Majority Leaders do not, any Member of Congress could do so.\n\nMembers of Congress could offer substitute amendments (which must ensure that the Social Security Trust Funds are funded for at least the next 50 years) to the base bill (as potentially amended) after the motion to proceed.\n\nThe Senate and House would vote on passage of the base bill (as potentially amended) after 100 hours of consideration. Final passage would require a three-fifths vote in the Senate and a majority vote in the House.\n\nAccording to polling from the Bipartisan Policy Center, 64 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of Republicans agree on the need for bipartisan cooperation to protect and strengthen the program. 67 percent of those polled want Congress to take near-term action to solve Social Security\u2019s impending challenges. Specifically, 47 percent say that they want Congress to address Social Security\u2019s financial shortfall as soon as possible, with both parties working together, and an additional 20 percent say that they want a bipartisan commission created to develop a comprehensive plan\u2014and for Congress to approve that plan.\n\nThe PROMISE Act is endorsed by the following organizations: Bipartisan Policy Center, Third Way, and Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s current and future retirees deserve a Social Security system that is financially strong and able to meet its financial commitments to seniors. With the trust funds nearing insolvency, Congress cannot remain in entrenched partisan positions. BPC Action endorses the PROMISE Act and commends Senators Durbin (D-Ill.), Cassidy (R-La.), Kaine (D-Va.), Tillis (R-N.C.), and King (I-Maine) for creating a serious bipartisan process to break the status quo of inaction. Their leadership should spur other members\u2014and advocates committed to Social Security\u2019s future\u2014to come to the table, confront difficult choices, and help secure Americans\u2019 earned benefits for generations to come,\u201d said Michele Stockwell, President of Bipartisan Policy Center Action.\n\n\u201cThe longer Congress waits to address Social Security\u2019s looming insolvency, the more expensive and narrow the eventual reforms become. This legislation will help Republicans and Democrats debate and craft a credible, bipartisan solution that keeps Social Security sustainable for decades,\u201d said Jessica Riedl, Fellow of Economic Studies at Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.", 1, "2026-07-30T07:32:48Z", "2026-07-30T07:34:08Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.coons.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-coons-durbin-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-initiate-congressional-action-to-save-social-security/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8778199553489685, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}