Reps urge Obama not to back Social Security cuts

The letter was organized by caucus co-chairmen Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.). House Financial Services ranking member Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is among the signatories.

The congressmen take aim at the president’s debt commission proposal of raising the retirement age beyond 67 and say it will “create even greater hardship for our most vulnerable citizens.”

The letter notes that technically Social Security does not directly contribute to the national debt since it is funded by a separate trust fund.

It accuses Republicans of manufacturing a fiscal crisis to dismantle Social Security though “radical schemes.”

“The truth is that there is no Social Security crisis,” they wrote.

Within the House Democratic Caucus, the progressives are seen as more
influential after the November election decimated the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition.