; it is the foundation of retirement security and provides nearly all workers and their families with essential insurance protections for retirement, disability, or death of a family breadwinner. (2) Americans are relying on Social Security more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic which is harming the very Americans who most rely on Social Security, our seniors, people with disabilities, women and people of color. (3) Americans have consistently ranked Social Security as one of the most important Federal programs. (4) Social Security enjoys deep and sustained public support because it is a benefit workers earn through their payroll contributions with each and every paycheck under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). (5) 65 million people, or nearly 1 in 3 households, receive their earned Social Security benefits each month, including seniors, widows, people with disabilities, children, and veterans. (6) Social Security’s progressive benefit formula, family benefits, and disability and survivor protections make the program especially important to communities of color and to women, as it partially mitigates the systemic inequalities in the rest of the retirement system, which mirror systemic inequalities in the labor market. (7) Social Security’s guaranteed benefits lift 22 million Americans out of poverty each year, and allow millions more to live with dignity after their retirement or disability. (8) Social Security pays $1 trillion in benefits each year, and beneficiaries return those funds to their local economies in every Congressional District in the nation when they pay for their homes, groceries, and medical care. (9) Social Security functions as an automatic stabilizer and economic stimulus during recessions, and the current economic and public health crises make the program’s role more important than ever, as beneficiaries can count on its monthly payments as a reliable source of income. (10) At its inception 85 years ago, Social Security was created by President Roosevelt as an earned