National Issue · Social Security
And it's running out of money.
Source-verified data from the Social Security Administration,
2025 Trustees Report, and Congressional Research Service.
1935 – 1940
President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act. Ida May Fuller receives the first monthly check: $22.54.
222,000
beneficiaries
159:1
workers per beneficiary
1945 – 1965
Post-war America embraces Social Security. Medicare launches in 1965. Beneficiaries grow from 1.1 million to 20.2 million.
1940 – 2025
Workers per beneficiary fell from 159:1 to 2.5:1. The math that made Social Security work has fundamentally changed.
2025
The Clock Is Ticking
2033
OASI trust fund depleted
23% automatic cut to retirement benefits
2034
Combined trust funds depleted
19% automatic cut to ALL benefits
A typical retiring couple loses $16,500/year
2099
Only 72% of scheduled benefits payable
To fix it today:
29%
payroll tax increase
— OR —
22%
benefit cut for all beneficiaries
Every year Congress waits, the fix gets harder.
Sources: [2025 Trustees Report] [CRFB] [CRS]
Why This Matters Now
“In 1945, there were 222,000 people on Social Security with 42 workers supporting each one. Today, 72.9 million people depend on it — and only 2.5 workers support each beneficiary.”
The math doesn't lie. This isn't a political issue — it's an arithmetic one.
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Join the MovementRadical Sourcing
Every figure on this page is sourced from official government reports and nonpartisan policy organizations. No spin. No editorializing. Just data.