A New Deal for America: How Social Security Redefined Government's Role
"Social Security is not just another government spending program. It is a promise from generation to generation."
Hauk Johnson, a U.S Representative
The Social Security Act fundamentally transformed the role of the federal government, marking a shift from limited involvement in citizens’ economic welfare to an active commitment to protecting them from hardship. Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the program as a safeguard against future economic crises by keeping money in people’s hands and maintaining stability. Today, Social Security stands as one of the most influential federal programs, reflecting the lasting legacy of this transformation and the government’s expanded responsibility to ensure economic security for all Americans.
Courtesy of Center Budget and Policy Priorites
"Early in this century, being old meant being poor. When President Roosevelt created Social Security, thousands wrote to thank him for eliminating what one woman called "the stark terror of penniless, helpless old age." Even today, without Social Security, half our nation's elderly would be forced into poverty."
President Bill Clinton: State of Union Message(1993)