Governor O'Malley (00:00):
… day. It's my great honor to join you and also be in the company of former United States Senator Debbie Stabenow, who is here from Michigan. And also, a big round of applause for Senator Roy Blunt, who's watching on video from home. So, it's a great honor to be here with all of you, the advocates, councilors, representatives of the disabled, to present our Beacon of Hope Award to our keynote speaker and the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.
MUSIC (00:47):
Good intentions…
Governor O'Malley (00:47):
As soon as he was elected, President Biden quickly and decisively led out country out of the pandemic and into the strongest economic recovery of any country in the developed world, creating 16 million jobs in just four years, more than any other president in American history. With the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden quickly put millions of people to work, rebuilding our bridges and tunnels, ports and airports. He made wages go up, not just for the super wealthy, but for Americans all across every earning quintile of the economy. He brought manufacturing jobs back to the United States with the CHIPS Act. He made the biggest investments ever to combat climate change. And President Biden took on big pharma and won, reducing prescription drug costs for tens of millions of Americans. In fact, President Biden built such a strong economy that it has taken a great act of economic self-sabotage to hurt it.
(02:04)
But all of you here, all of you that are councilors, all of you that are lawyers and representatives, know better than most that on a deeper level, whether it was as a lawyer, or as a senator, or as president of the United Sates, Joe Biden has always fought for the dignity of every person. Perhaps that's why Social Security has always been at the forefront of Joe Biden's mind, and why his defense of Social Security has always come from the bottom of his Irish American heart. The dignity of every person, the dignity of work, the dignity of every child's home, the dignity of a compassionate and caring people who would freely choose to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, to care for widows and orphans, for those in the dawn of life and those in the dusk of life, every soul.
(03:06)
For 90 years, without ever missing a monthly benefit payment, this has been the mission of the Social Security Administration of the United States and of America, and yet when the president asked me to lead the agency, it was not because things were going well. In fact, customer service was in a sharp decline. Wait times were going up for every line of service in this, our nation's largest insurance company, and they were going in the wrong direction fast.
(03:36)
You see, over the prior seven years, Congress had reduced staffing at the agency to a 50-year low, even as baby boomers of my generation swelled the ranks to a new all-time high every day. But thanks to President Biden's leadership and support, the hardworking men and women of Social Security, in just one year, turned around almost every single service metric in delivering for the American people, and they got the agency moving in a much better direction.
(04:10)
That's how President Biden, when he left office, left the agency, heading in a better direction. But now, so many of those gains have been wiped out, and in just 45 days Trump and Musk have gutted the Social Security Administration with a chainsaw, the largest exodus of staff the agency has ever suffered. And make no mistake about it, it's the American people who are feeling the pain. They'll feel the pain in the additional wait times. They'll feel the pain from being crammed into crowded wait rooms. They'll feel the pain from their field office being gutted and reduced by 25 or 50%. But I tell you, they may feel the pain, but they will not believe the big lies. And we've heard them again. We're hearing them right now. The big lie that there's a massive zombie apocalypse of dead people-
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Right.
Governor O'Malley (05:17):
… some of them not only 150 years old, they're 300 years old. Not true. It's a big lie. And the reason the people won't believe it is because it's not true. The other big lie? Illegal immigrants. "They're sucking Social Security dry." When the truth is illegal immigrants are prohibited by law from receiving any Social Security benefits, but they contribute 25 billion to everybody else in America that depends on Social Security. The American people aren't buying it because it's not true. They will also tell you the big lie that Social Security is rife with fraud. The cup runneth over with fraud after fraud after fraud. The American people aren't buying it, and they're not buying it because it's not true. Every inspector general for the last 30 years has concluded that the level of fraud at Social Security is actually less than one half of 1%.
(06:24)
So, as our democracy awakens to this massive breaking and entering in progress and all its attendant big lies, let no one forget that for 90 years, Social Security has always worked. That for 90 years, Social Security has never missed a payment. That for most of those 90 years, Social Security was allowed to have adequate staffing to serve its customers. And finally, remember this, even when their staffing was reduced to a 50-year low, one president got it turned around and moving in a better direction. One president, in his final days in office, in fact, even signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, the biggest expansion and strengthening of benefits in 20 years. Ladies and gentlemen, of course, that person is our keynote speaker, was the 46th President of the United States. So, please welcome the strongest defender of Social Security the American people have ever had, President Joe Biden.
MUSIC (07:30):
… has gone dry as a bone.
(07:34)
We take care of our own.
(07:47)
We take care of our own.
(07:47)
Wherever this flag's flown.
(07:47)
We take care of our own.
(07:47)
From Chicago to New Orleans.
(07:47)
From the muscle to the bone.
President Joe Biden (07:48):
Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's so good to be here with all of you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
MUSIC (08:09):
From the shotgun shack to the Superdome.
President Joe Biden (08:09):
[inaudible 00:08:10] doing God's work-
MUSIC (08:10):
There ain't no help, the cavalry's-
President Joe Biden (08:11):
… helping people who deserve help, and pay for most of it. My great friend, he is a great friend, Governor O'Malley, my dad… The Biden family started off in Baltimore. They don't say Baltimore. It's Baltimore. In Baltimore. But we've been friends for a long time. And I just want to say at the outset, if you ever want anybody on your team, whether it's an athletic team, whether you're in a battle, whether it's a political team, whether it's a team just trying to help, you want O'Malley. The guy has guts. No, no, I mean this sincerely. He not only has political courage, he has physical courage. He's across the board. If I ever want anybody standing next to me, I want O'Malley there with me, and I mean that sincerely. It really matters.
(09:10)
I always kid, Maryland, because Delaware, the second-smallest state, we share the eastern shore of Maryland with Maryland. But we're close friends. And folks, it's no surprise that he did a hell of a job when I asked him to be commissioner of the Social Security. And the reason I did that, it is not an ordinary transition for a governor, but I knew, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, I knew we needed someone with some guts, some toughness, who'd fight for every single penny that it needed, that would try to restore the integrity of the system.
(09:49)
And everyone here today, I want to thank you, all of you, very much for this award. It means a great deal to me coming from you. I mean that sincerely. It means a great deal. You're on the
President Joe Biden (10:00):
… front lines every single day. You're helping. You're advocating for your fellow Americans, Americans with disability. It's a big deal. We can talk about what'd happen on the physical side of it if we didn't have Social Security. Think of what the psychic calm it gives so many people who just don't know where to go, don't know how to traverse what needs to be done, are alone. Last fall on the White House lawn, we celebrated the anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. As a United States Senator 400 years ago… I was looking back on it. God almighty, I've been doing this 50 years. It's hell turning 40 years old. Anyway.
(10:44)
But back in the year 1990, I was a cosponsor of the Americans With Disabilities Act as a United States Senator. In my view, and I suspect many of you, it was one of the most consequential civil rights laws in American history. That's what got me involved in politics in the first place. Delaware Lake, Maryland was one of those states which was a slave state. We had all the vestiges of what was going on back in the day. We were one of those states that still, I remember moving from Scranton, Pennsylvania down to Wilmington, Delaware. When Cole died, my dad moved back to where he could get a job. And I remember, I pulled into… My mom would drive us on the Philadelphia Pike connecting Wilmington and Philadelphia, and we lived in an apartment complex, and she'd drive us. It was only about a half a mile to Holy Rosary School in Claremont. But it was so dangerous, she wouldn't let us walk up, because it was an access road.
(11:47)
I remember pulling into the parking lot, and I had never seen hardly any black people in Scranton at the time, and I was only going to fourth grade. And I remember seeing these kids going by, at the time called "colored kids," on a bus going by. They never turned right to go to Claremont High School. I wondered why. Asked my mom, "Why?" "So in Delaware, they're not allowed to go to school in public school with white kids, honey." That sparked my sense of outrage as a kid, just like it does… I mean, and these young kids right here can tell you, things affect them when they learn about something that's really just unfair and unjust. You know, my dad, my dad was an honorable man, and my dad used to have an expression. He said, "Joey, your job's about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, 'Honey, it's going to be okay,' and mean it." Well, that's what you're all about. That's what the legislation's about. It's about dignity, simple dignity. Everyone, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, regardless of their standing, regardless of the economic situation, regardless who they are, making sure that more than 60 million Americans who are living with disabilities are treated with dignity is who we are as Americans. That's what it's about. I mean it.
(13:28)
Dignity at work, at school, in their communities, in every corner of American life. Laws like the ADA, t advocates like you. You're the ones that keep it going, God love you. You fight like hell every single day to make sure the law is respected and your clients' rights are protected. So from the bottom of my heart, I mean this. I give you my word as a Biden. From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you. Thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for your commitment to the dignity of all Americans. Because that's what ultimately this is about.
(14:04)
Folks, today I want to talk to you about an issue that's front and center right now for millions of Americans, Social Security. You know, some of you may know the Democrats have declared today the Save Social Security National Action Day, National Day of Action I should say. We know just how much Social Security matters to people's lives. Everyone in this room fights for people with disabilities who rely on Social Security to survive, to survive. And not just the physical side. It's the mental side. It's the mental side. You make sure folks get the benefits they earn after a lifetime of hard work. And the work they do is more than just a profession, what you do. It's a calling. It's not just a profession.
(14:55)
And Social Security's more than a government program. It's a sacred promise. We made a sacred promise. 73 million Americans receive Social Security. From the first paycheck, for their entire life, they pay into Social Security, and in return, they count on Social Security to be there for them when they're going to need it. Folks, we must never, ever betray that trust or turn our backs on that obligation. That's why during my presidency, we protected Social Security and made it stronger. Martin, the governor can tell you. When we came into office, the Social Security Admission had its lowest staffing. She referenced it. Lowest staffing levels in 50 years. And demand was going through the roof because of my generation, the Baby Boomer generation, reaching the retirement age.
(15:52)
So the demands on Social Security increased significantly. Our administration secured nearly $2 billion to reduce the backlogs and improve customer service. We slashed wait times for folks in need who were calling the 1-800 number. We got it down to under 13 minutes. It used to be three times that long when we took office. We made it easier for people to get help with their claims online. We reduced how long it takes to review a case. We fixed the appeal system to make it uniform in all 50 states, which made a difference. And we strengthened the anti-fraud measures to protect people's identities and to make sure benefits are going to people who actually, they belong to.
(16:42)
By the way, those 300-year-old folk getting that Social Security, I want to meet them, because I'd like to figure out how they live that long. Hell of a thing, man. I'm looking for longevity. Because it's hell when you turn 40 years old. But as a result, by the time we left office, we had improved every single line of customer service, from applying for disability, to filing an appeal, to reporting fraud. It all became more efficient and more effective. And I'll bet it made your jobs easier too in the process.
(17:18)
Now, these achievements may not sound so glamorous to most people, but you know, they're absolutely essential. It might be one of the most important jobs of any elected official, is to make sure the government works for the people, works for all people, it's understandable, they can understand what it is. And then we keep our promises to the people, to all the people. And that's exactly what we did thanks to all of you. I also signed into the law the Social Security Fairness Act. That act eliminated two unfair rules, so public employees wouldn't get shortchanged, and the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision can never come in ever again.
(18:12)
But as a result, more than two million people are now finally receiving the full benefits they earned. And remember, we also faced the constant threat by some members, Republican members of the Congress, to cut and gut Social Security, period, cut and gut it, period. They wanted to let Social Security expire every five years. That was the proposal, let it expire every five years unless reauthorized by the Congress. Who the hell did they think they are? Every five years, and then wait around and be… Well, I will not go further and get in trouble, but look, folks. Can you imagine the chaos it would have charged? Every five years, Congress is going to step up. Can you imagine this Congress stepping up?
(19:10)
They threatened to raise the retirement age as well. Now, that might not be a hardship for someone working in a comfortable job, but if you're on your feet all day, you're doing manual labor all day, you're working with a disability, it's a very different matter. And then they even tried to force cuts on Social Security during the negotiation of the debt ceiling. These are wonderful guys. Last time this guy had the job, he raised the debt ceiling because of an enormous and profitable tax cut to the super wealthy, and then they said, "Look, then they started talking to us," his colleagues, "Well, maybe we can do something about Social Security, but we got
President Joe Biden (20:00):
… "Got to do something about the debt ceiling. How are we going to… We could find the money in Social Security." Once we did what they wanted, they wanted to cut Social Security. Not on my watch. We refused to go along with any of that. Look, Americans have always been able to count on these benefits. And let me pause a second and say this. We talk about the physical needs that Social Security provides for people, particularly hardworking people, people retired, people on the edge. But the psychological impact is profound, profound. If you're a man or a woman in their 70s, 80 years old, you're not in good shape, you have a disability, and you hear the check may not come, how do you sleep at night? How do you sleep at night?
(21:05)
We lived up in Wilmington in a three-bedroom, split-level home in a new development, 40 homes, with four kids and a grand-pop living with us. And I remember, our bedroom headboards was near my dad's and mom's room, and you could tell when Dad was restless. I remember asking one night, my mom, "What's the matter with Dad?" the next morning. She said, "He just found out that they're not going to provide insurance anymore where he works." Imagine if you're somebody who's been struggling your whole life. You literally count on Social Security to buy your food, just to get by, and you hear the threats about what might happen. Many of these beneficiaries, this is their only income. If they were cut or taken away, it'd be devastating, devastating, for millions of people. And the psychological pressure we put people under by having this debate is absolutely devastating. That's why we worked so damn hard to make the Social Security Administration stronger than it'd been in years, and that's why I asked the governor to take over, by the way. But look what's happened now. In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction. It's kind of breathtaking it could happen that soon. They've taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration, pushing 7,000 employees, 7,000, out the door in that time, including the most seasoned career officials. Now they're getting ready to push thousands more out the door.
(23:09)
Already, we can see the effects. For example, thousands of people use the Social Security website every single day to check on their benefits and submit their claims, but now, the technology division of the Social Security Administration's been cut in half. And so the website's crashing. People can't sign onto their accounts. What do you think it does to that woman living alone at 74 years, checking, and just not able to even find out whether… She can't even find out what that disability claim is she has. She can't file a new disability claim. And now these people are being told incorrectly that their benefits have ended.
(23:57)
Folks, imagine the panic that causes if you're a retiree living alone with only Social Security to depend upon. So now people are overwhelming the phone lines. They're showing up at their local Social Security office, tearful and frantic, and told, "Do you have an appointment?" In that tone, by the way. I can give you a personal example, but I'm not going to, though. To cap it all off, these people are now generally concerned for the first time in history, for the first and only time in history, that Social Security benefits may be delayed or interrupted.
(24:41)
Folks, let's put this in perspective. In the 90 years since Franklin Roosevelt created the Social Security system, people have always gotten their Social Security checks. They've gotten them during wartime, during recessions, during the pandemic. No matter what, they got them. But now, for the first time ever, that might change. There'll be calamity for millions of families, millions of people. But the current secretary of commerce doesn't seem to get it, or based on his comments, he doesn't seem to even care. Many of you saw what he said the other day. And by the way, he's a billionaire, "God love him," as my mother would say, paying 8.5% in taxes. But anyway. Billionaires know what he's paying.
(25:38)
But when he talked about the possibility of Social Security checks not going out this month, he shrugged it off. Here's what he said. He said that his 94-year-old mother-in-law wouldn't complain. It wouldn't bother her. She's probably a lovely woman. No kidding. Her son-in-law is a billionaire. What about that 94-year-old mother living all by herself, doesn't have a billionaire in the family, or all the retirees who depend on that monthly check to feed themselves, all those people with disabilities, who have no other source? What about all those people?
(26:27)
That's who you fight for. That's why they so desperately need you. And folks, it's not just the secretary of commerce. We heard how others, empowered and emboldened by this administration, talk about Social Security. One of them called it a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme? What the hell are they talking about? People earn these benefits. They paid into that benefit. They rely on that benefit, and no one, and no one, no one, should take it away.
(27:08)
You know, Franklin Roosevelt had a different view. He was president coming out of the Great Depression. He and all his colleagues saw great suffering, so much poverty. He also took steps to raise the standard of living for ordinary Americans, including creating Social Security. He himself was from a very wealthy family. He didn't need Social Security, but he understood how much it would mean to millions of Americans. He knew it would make America stronger in the process, and it has. It makes our economy stronger. It makes the community stronger. It makes families stronger. It gives peace of mind.
(27:56)
That's why the vast majority of Americans, including many wealthy Americans, still support, thank God, Social Security, and very wealthy billionaires still support Social Security. They may not rely on it themselves, but they know. They know Social Security deserves to be protected for the good of the nation as a whole.
(28:19)
You know, you got to ask yourself, why is this happening? Why are these guys taking aim on Social Security now? Well, they're following that old line from tech startups. The quote is, "Move fast, break things." Well, they're certainly breaking things. They're shooting first and aiming later, and as a result, the result is a lot of needless pain and sleepless nights. My friend, Governor O'Malley, knows what they're really up to. He says, and I love his quote, "They want to wreck it so they can rob it. They want to wreck it so they can rob it."
(29:09)
And why do they want to rob it? In order to deliver huge tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations and keep it going. They want to make permanent the 2017 tax cuts, which overwhelmingly benefited the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations. That's going to cost $5 trillion. Where are they going to get $5 trillion to pay for it while they continue to run the deficit up? Well, where they always do, by running up the national debt, number one, and then by taking the money from someplace else. What are the two big pots of money out there, in raw numbers? Social Security and Medicaid. Or from other programs
President Joe Biden (30:00):
People rely on and have paid into. Republicans or these guys that are willing to hurt the middle class and working class in order to deliver significant greater wealth to the already very wealthy. Who in the hell do they think they are? I really think it's basic decency. Who do they think they are?
(30:26)
I think anybody should go out, they can make a billion dollars or anything, fine. Pay your fair share. We have a thousand billionaires in America. You know the average federal tax they pay? 8.2%. Anyone want to trade that number with what you're paying?
(30:48)
Folks, look. We're closing I'm sorry to go on some more, but I just, anyway.
(30:52)
I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania as a kid and then [inaudible 00:31:02]. Rural class towns, working class towns. A place where people worked hard all their lives with a promise that they'd be able to retire someday with a little bit of dignity because they've been paying into a thing called Social Security since the very paycheck they've earned. These people get knocked down everyday only to get up. [inaudible 00:31:28] days when you're knocked down just get up. Get up. They get up every day. The last thing they need from their government is deliberate cruelty.
(31:43)
It's about people and neighbors across the country who look out for each other. They don't see empathy, they don't see it as a sign of weakness. They see empathy as a decent instinct. They don't see cruelty as a sign of strength.
(32:05)
Social Security is a lot more than retirement accounts. It's about honoring a fundamental trust between government and people. It's about peace of mind for those who've worked their whole lives, so they can rest assure they have a chance to get back some of what they earned, of what they deserve. But more than anything, I mean this sincerely, is my friend says [inaudible 00:32:40] it's about who we are as Americans. Who are we? What makes us distinct from the rest of the world? It comes down to basic and mindful, sentimental American values. Nobody's king. Nobody's the boss. Everybody has a shot. All people are asking for is a shot. Honesty, decency. Where hard work is rewarded. Have some faith in each other. Fairness, simple fairness.
(33:22)
We can't go on like this as a divided nation as divided as we are. Like I said, I've been doing this a long time. It's never been this divided. Granted, it's roughly 30% but it's a 30% that has no heart. [inaudible 00:33:42] see in America. That's what we believe in. Fairness. And that's the America we can never forget or walk away from.
(33:54)
Folks, I mean this. I know it sounds trite, but I have to remember who we are. We're the United States of America. The United States of America. The most unique country in the history of the world. And that's not hyperbole. Every other nation was founded because of religion, geography, ethnicity. We're the only nation in the world found in an ocean. We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men and women are created equal, and [inaudible 00:34:32] their creator.
(34:35)
That's the one thing that unite us, an idea. Every other nation was because of purpose. It's an idea. And how can we fulfill the outcome, the meaning of that idea if we walk away from just basic fundamental decency.
(34:55)
Folks, sorry to go on so long but I feel deeply about this. You've heard me say it before and I'll say it again. There's nothing beyond the capacity of America to do when we do it together. Let's do it together.
(35:19)
God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you for what you do, and thank you for this wonderful award. Thank you, thank you.
(35:24)
Your little sisters taking care of [inaudible 00:36:02]. Thank you all very much.
