Reforming Social Security
Ensuring recipients receive benefits while financing Social Security
In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. The law aimed to improve the economic security of all Americans. The act included a retirement pension program for those 65 years or older, unemployment insurance funded by employers, health insurance for people in financial distress, financial assistance for widows with children and financial assistance for individuals with disabilities. The next year, payroll tax deductions began to help fund the program.
