FROM A NEWS RELEASE

MARQUETTE — Social Security is spending more each year on recipients than it collects through payroll taxes.

Unless Congress takes action, in less than 10 years, the Social Security program will have to reduce benefits.

A community forum on protecting Social Security will be held at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. Featured speakers are Martin O’Malley, former Commissioner of Social Security, and Callie Barr, who is seeking to represent the First Congressional District of Michigan in Congress. The event is free and open to the public.

The future of Social Security affects nearly every family in the Upper Peninsula. Social Security provides basic income for retired people and people with disabilities. According to data from the Social Security Administration, the 15 counties in the U.P. had a combined total of 91,000 Social Security recipients in 2022.

Social Security not only provides this basic income, but it also powers the economy in these rural areas. Social Security generates an estimated $1.86 billion per year in the Upper Peninsula, which is spent on rent, food, transportation and other costs of living.