Blunt, O’Malley & Stabenow Unite To Support Social Security

ACRD Brings Together Bipartisan Advocates and Leaders for Social Security

Washington, DC – April 10, 2025 – The Social Security Administration (SSA) and its essential programs have recently been getting a great deal of attention. As reported by major media platforms, operational and staffing issues have arisen that cause some to be concerned for the millions of older and disabled Americans who depend on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). As a result, Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) is convening a landmark, sold-out conference in Chicago on April 15-16 to discuss and develop consensus solutions.

Reflecting Social Security’s proud history and broad support, this important conversation is bipartisan in nature. Former Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) will join former Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and former Governor and SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley (D-MD) at the ACRD Conference, uniting key policymakers and leading advocates in a mutual effort to support Social Security now and for decades to come.

“Our focus,” said Blunt, “is on enabling the Social Security Administration to meet claimants’ needs by reducing red tape, strengthening claims processing, and ensuring all unnecessary spending is eliminated. This progress will do so much for these vital programs and the millions of Americans who depend on them.”

 “Social Security is a sacred promise between generations,” added O’Malley, who serves as Chair of ACRD’s Advisory Board. “It’s a promise that ensures dignity in retirement, security after tragedy, and support for those with disabilities. Working together to keep that promise is an opportunity I hope all Americans will take.”

 “As an earned benefit – not an entitlement – Social Security is a core element of America’s purpose to lift people out of poverty,” said Stabenow. “In recent years, great progress has been made, and it is now incumbent on all of us to join together to help this important work continue.”

The bipartisanship that will be featured at ACRD’s Conference is reflective of Social Security’s historic origins. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935, and President Dwight David Eisenhower, a Republican, enhanced it when he signed Social Security Disability Insurance into law on August 1, 1956.

 “We can never insure 100 percent of the population against 100 percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life,” said President Roosevelt as he signed the Act, “but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-stricken old age.” Twenty years later, FDR’s vision was echoed by President Eisenhower during his signing ceremony when he said, “the disabled worker and his family should not be left to face poverty and hardship.”

 A leading force in preserving Social Security for generations to come, ACRD proudly honors this bipartisanship and is dedicated to protecting the nation’s most vulnerable citizens and the essential programs upon which they rely. As a result, attendees at the ACRD Conference will hear from policy experts, advocacy leaders, and experienced representatives on how they can help uphold and advance Social Security’s promise.

 “As bipartisan leaders point out, Americans who retire after paying into Social Security their whole lives deserve the vital support and caring services they receive,” said Rachel Buck, ACRD Executive Director. “By rallying all Americans across the political spectrum, we are committed to a stable and successful future for Social Security.”

Contact:  

Rachel Buck  

ACRD Executive Director  

rachelb@acrd.org