By Jennifer Benson, AARP Massachusetts State Director
Ninety years ago, our country made a promise—to provide hardworking Americans with a foundation for financial security in retirement. Since then, Social Security has become one of the most successful and popular programs in American history, helping generations of Americans stay out of poverty and live with dignity after a lifetime of work.
In 90 years, Social Security has never missed a payment.
Today, nearly 69 million older Americans receive Social Security benefits, and over 183 million workers are contributing to the system.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of Social Security. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935. For nine decades, Social Security has provided peace of mind to families across the country and helped ensure dignity in retirement.
At AARP, we’re proud to honor this legacy while continuing our fight to protect and strengthen Social Security—not just for today’s older Americans, but for our children and grandchildren. We’ve been doing this work for over 60 years, and we’re not stopping now.
We’re working with leaders from both parties—including President Trump, and Republicans and Democrats in Congress—because protecting Social Security isn’t a partisan issue. It’s an American priority.
But Social Security faces a serious challenge. According to the Social Security Board of Trustees, the trust funds that help ensure full benefit payments are projected to run out by 2034—one year earlier than previously expected. If Congress doesn’t act, beneficiaries could see a 19% cut in their payments, receiving only 81 cents for every dollar they’ve earned. This shift is largely due to demographic changes, economic trends, and recent legislation that increased benefits for certain retirees.
In January, Congress passed the Social Security Fairness Act. That law repealed two policies that had been reducing benefits for 2.8 million people who receive pensions for jobs that exempted them from paying into Social Security during their careers (such as teachers, police officers and firefighters) but who also get Social Security benefits for other jobs where they did have paycheck deductions.
Under the Social Security Fairness Act, those affected got retroactive lump-sum repayments for the amount their benefits were reduced in 2024, plus an increase in their regular benefit going forward.
This 90th anniversary isn’t just a celebration—it’s a moment to reflect and look ahead. Social Security is still doing what it was built to do. Now it’s up to us to ensure it’s there for the next 90 years. AARP will never stop fighting to protect the Social Security we’ve earned.
We hope you’ll join us. We have two events planned to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Social Security: one in Waltham, and the other in Gardner. You can find out more about the events at aarp.org/ma.
And a reminder, if you’re about to retire, AARP’s Social Security Resource Center has the answers to important questions, so you know how to access what you’ve earned. You can find that at aarp.org/socialsecurity.
Jennifer Benson is the State Director for AARP Massachusetts.
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