Austin proclaims Aug. 28 Social Security 90th Anniversary Day, urges federal action
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Summary
Austin officials marked the 90th anniversary of Social Security with a city proclamation and called for federal action to shore up benefits, citing statistics on beneficiaries and the program’s economic impact in Texas.
Vanessa Fuentes, mayor pro tem and Austin City Council member, presented a city proclamation on Aug. 28 recognizing the 90th anniversary of Social Security and urging protection of the program for future generations.
“Social Security is here to provide dignity, stability, and the ability to meet basic needs,” Fuentes said during the proclamation presentation at Austin City Hall, citing the program’s role for retirees, people with disabilities and families who have lost a loved one. Fuentes thanked advocacy and service organizations including AARP, Age of Central Texas and Meals on Wheels for supporting older residents.
Jessica Lehman, senior associate of the state director of outreach and advocacy at AARP Texas, joined Fuentes for the proclamation and said Social Security is under fiscal strain: “Social Security is paying out more to beneficiaries than it is collecting in revenue. Unless Congress takes action by 2035, older Americans will see their Social Security payments reduced.”
The proclamation text, read at the meeting, included several statistical claims echoed by speakers: it said nearly 4.7 million Texans, including almost 3.3 million retired workers, rely on Social Security benefits; that Social Security lifted more than 1 million Texans age 65 and older out of poverty between 2018 and 2020; and that the program injects more than $72.8 billion into the Texas economy annually. Those figures were presented as part of the city’s rationale for reaffirming “our commitment to defending and strengthening Social Security for future generations of Austinites.”
No formal council action or vote followed the proclamation; the presentation was ceremonial. The council members framed the event as both a celebration of the program’s history and a call for vigilance and federal policy action to preserve benefits.
The proclamation closed with Fuentes officially designating Aug. 28, 2025, as Social Security 90th Anniversary Day in Austin.