This Sunday marks the 81st anniversary of Social Security – what I believe is single greatest program in this country’s history – responsible for lifting tens of millions of Americans out of poverty. In Congress, I will work to strengthen and secure this incredible program so that we fulfill our sacred promise to today’s seniors and tomorrow’s retirees.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935, he said it was to “give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.” Today, Social Security lifts 15.3 million elderly Americans out of poverty, including 9 million women. Six million children received Social Security in 2012, and 5.3 million California residents benefitted from the program that year.

Social Security is a great example of American ingenuity to solve a problem through government action. Social Security pays for itself and does not add one penny to the national debt. Yet, corporate politicians in Washington continue to try to weaken the program by giving a windfall to Wall Street speculators. I will stand up to all Republican attempts to cut benefits, raise the retirement age or privatize Social Security, which would have put millions of retirees at risk during the recent financial collapse.

Instead of finding ways to benefit banks and speculators, we must take steps now to strengthen and secure Social Security for this and future generations. In Congress, I will fight to:

* Scrap the cap: By requiring millionaires and billionaires to pay the same percentage of their incomes toward Social Security as middle-class families, we can guarantee that Social Security remains fully funded for another 50 years.

* Increase benefits: By using the CPI-E (Consumer Price Index-Elderly) instead of the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index – Urban Wage and Clerical) to calculate COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments), we will more accurately account for our seniors’ regular expenses and allow them to live more securely on their own.

Social Security was a great idea, and I will work to fulfill our sacred promise to our seniors for generations to come.

Bryan Caforio is a candidate for Congress in California’s 25th District.