News · Press Release

On Social Security’s 91st Anniversary, Tom Kean Jr. Is Still Plotting To Privatize It

For nearly a century, Social Security has provided financial security for millions of New Jerseyans who have worked hard to retire with dignity.

But Tom Kean Jr. and D.C. Republicans are hellbent on destroying it at the behest of billionaires. 

New reporting reveals that Kean Jr. stands with the extreme ”60 Plus Association” that has been advocating for privatization for decades — a move that would effectively gut New Jerseyans’ retirement security to benefit Kean Jr.’s Wall Street backers.

A recap of Kean Jr.’s and the Administration’s actions to date:

  • Kean Jr. voted for the Big, Ugly Law, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted was a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security.”
  • Kean Jr. fully submitted to Elon Musk’s plan to gut the agency, which cut phone lines, fired staff, and laid off workers through his cruel DOGE effort. To date, Social Security offices have lost an estimated 20% of staff.
  • The Administration rolled out a proposal to cut disability benefits to recipients.
  • According to the Chief Actuary, the Social Security trust fund is predicted to run out of money faster than previous estimates because of the The Big, Ugly Law.

Social Security By The Numbers:

  • 1.78 million New Jerseyans receive Social Security.
  • 162,396 New Jerseyans receive Supplemental Security Income (disability benefits).
  • 63% of retirees rely on Social Security for at least half of their income.
  • Social Security lifts more than 388,000 seniors out of poverty.
  • 79% say Social Security earned benefits shouldn’t be reduced in any way.

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene:
“Social Security has been a pillar of America’s middle class and represents one of the most singularly successful programs in our nation’s history. It is based on a basic American value: If you work hard, you should be able to earn enough to retire with dignity and peace of mind. Tom Kean Jr. abandoned those values by backing extreme right-wing efforts to privatize Social Security, gut benefits, and give away billions to his Wall Street backers. Kean Jr.’s attempts to privatize Social Security are just his latest broken promise to the American people — and it’s why he will lose in November.”

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