Alexandria, VA (January 31, 2006) - A U.S./Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement poses an "undue and unreasonable economic threat" to the fiscal solvency of Social Security, warns a national nonpartisan seniors advocacy organization. TREA Seniors Citizens League (TSCL) believes President Bush may use immigration legislation in the Senate as an opportunity to send the agreement to lawmakers. TSCL is petitioning Congress for Redress of Grievances, asking that the agreement be stopped from taking effect.
"A Social Security totalization agreement with Mexico is in the best interests of neither the United States nor retired Americans who depend on Social Security," states Ralph McCutchen, Chairman of TSCL. "Under such an agreement, Mexican workers in the U.S. would earn "credits" that include earnings while working in this country illegally. Those 'credits' are good for receiving retirement benefits and are totaled to qualify for Social Security," McCutchen explains. "Meanwhile, it was just one year ago that President Bush and some Members of Congress said that Social Security is unsustainable as it is now, and that benefits must be cut," McCutchen notes.
The U.S. currently has 21 other totalization agreements with other nations, but those nations have economies similar to that of the United States' economy. The controversial agreement with Mexico would be the first with a developing nation that has a large population where millions of workers are in the U.S. illegally. As many as 69%[1] of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., reportedly come from Mexico.[2]
In 2003 the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated that the cost of the agreement was "highly uncertain" because Social Security actuaries did not factor, into their estimates, in the number of persons who worked here illegally and their family members who would become eligible for benefits.[3] A report by the Centers for Immigration Studies said that the cost of the agreement would be "in the billions of dollars."[4] "A totalization agreement with Mexico would reward people who break our laws and provide yet another incentive for more illegal immigration", McCutchen says.
Once the President sends the agreement to Congress, lawmakers will only have 60 legislative days in which to formally disapprove the agreement to prevent it from taking effect. TSCL endorses H. Res. 20 introduced by Representative J.D. Hayworth (AZ) and H. Con. Res. 50 introduced by Representative Virgil Goode (VA) disapproving the agreement. "Once the President sends the agreement to Congress, this is the only way to stop it," McCutchen says. "Seniors should contact their Members of Congress and tell them to stop the U.S./Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement," he urges.
TSCL is a national group of politically active seniors concerned about the protection of their earned Social Security, Medicare, and other retirement benefits. TSCL members participate in a number of grassroots lobbying and public education campaigns designed to ensure governmental bodies, including the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, live up to their commitments. For more free information on our organization, please contact TREA Senior Citizens League, Department S603, 909 N. Washington St., Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314, or visit our website at: www.tscl.org.
[1] "Estimates of Unauthorized Immigrants: 2002 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics", United States Citizen and Immigration Services, http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/aboutus/statistics/Illegal2002.pdf.
[2] "Analysis: Crackdown Won't Halt Immigration", Michael Fletcher and Darryl Fears, The Washington Post, December 18, 2005.
[3] "Proposed Totalization Agreement With Mexico Presents Unique Challenges", September 11, 2003.
[4] "Social Security Totalization, Examining a Lopsided Agreement With Mexico", September 28, 2004.
Distributed by The Senior Exchange, Inc.
Serving The Mature American With Timely, Low-Cost, Self-Help Information
January 2006
