When President Obama took office in 2009, he said that fixing Social Security was a top priority. On January 16, 2009, he promised to deliver leadership:
“What we have done is kicked this can down the road. We are now at the end of the road and are not in a position to kick it any further,” he said. “We have to signal seriousness in this by making sure some of the hard decisions are made under my watch, not someone else’s.”
Seven years later, President Obama has stopped even pretending that he wants to strengthen Social Security. In fact, his FY 2017 budget barely mentions Social Security solvency.
As Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson told Treasury Secretary Lew today:
“But in this year’s budget? This is what he had to say. Nothing. Not a single sentence about fixing Social Security.”
Here’s the full evolution of the Obama Budget and Social Security solvency:
FY 2010: Page 109
The President recognizes that Social Security is indispensable to workers, the disabled, seniors, and survivors and is probably the most important and most successful program that our country has ever established. Social Security can pay full benefits until 2041. The President is committed to ensuring that Social Security is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future. He is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security and looks forward to working in a bipartisan way to preserve it for future generations.
FY 2011: Page 139
The President recognizes that Social Security is indispensable to workers, people with disabilities, seniors, and survivors and is probably the most important and most successful program that our country has ever established. Based on current forecasts, Social Security can pay full benefits until 2037. The President is committed to making sure that Social Security is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future. He is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security and looks forward to working in a bipartisan way to preserve it for future generations.
FY 2012: Page 163
The President recognizes that Social Security is indispensable to workers, people with disabilities, seniors, and survivors and is probably the most important and most successful program ever established in the United States. Based on current forecasts, Social Security can pay full benefits until 2037. The President is committed to making sure that Social Security is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future. He is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security and looks forward to working in a bipartisan way to preserve it for future generations. The President has laid out six principles for reform, which will guide bipartisan talks on strengthening Social Security in the long term.
FY 2013: Page 195
The President recognizes that Social Security is indispensable to workers, retirees, survivors, and people with disabilities and that it is one of the most important and most successful programs ever established in the United States. Although current forecasts maintain the solvency of Social Security paying full benefits until 2036, the President is committed to making sure that Social Security is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future. He is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security and looks forward to working on a bipartisan basis to preserve it for future generations.
FY 2014: Page 167
The President recognizes that Social Security is indispensable to workers, retirees, survivors, and people with disabilities and that it is one of the most important and successful programs ever established in the United States. Although current forecasts indicate that Social Security can pay full benefits until 2033, the President is committed to making sure that it is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future. He is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security and looks forward to working in a bipartisan way to preserve it for future generations.
FY 2015: Page 149
The President believes that Social Security is indispensable to workers, retirees, survivors, and people with disabilities and that it is one of the most important and successful programs ever established in the United States. Although current forecasts indicate that Social Security can pay full benefits until 2033, the Administration is committed to making sure that the program is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future. The President is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security and looks forward to working in a bipartisan way to strengthen the program for future generations.
FY 2016: Page 42
Social Security is indispensable to workers, retirees, survivors, and people with disabilities, and is one of the most important and successful programs ever established in the United States. Although current forecasts indicate that the combined Social Security Trust Funds can pay full benefits until 2033, the Administration is committed to ensuring that the program is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in the future, and the President has laid out key principles to achieve this objective. Any reforms should strengthen retirement security for the most vulnerable, including low-income seniors, and should maintain robust disability and survivors’ benefits. The Administration will oppose any measures that privatize or weaken the Social Security system and will not accept an approach that slashes benefits for future generations or reduces basic benefits for current beneficiaries.
FY 2017:
(NO MENTION AT ALL)
From fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2016, the President expressed how indispensable Social Security is to Americans and that it’s “one of the most important and successful programs ever established.”
In his 2017 budget, the President doesn’t even kick the can down the road anymore – he ignores it.