COURTESY OF AARP MAINE
AARP has started our Countdown to 90 Years—a recognition and call to action leading up to the 90th anniversary of Social Security on August 14, 2025. For nine decades, Social Security has been a stable and reliable foundation of retirement security for millions of Americans—and we believe it must remain that way for generations to come.
Since 1935, Social Security has helped older Americans live and retire with dignity, supported people with disabilities, and provided vital income to families after the loss of a loved one. It’s a promise earned through a lifetime of hard work—and it has stood the test of time, weathering economic downturns, political shifts, and demographic change. In its 90 years of existence, a payment has never been missed.
Social Security will face challenges in the years ahead, but it’s incumbent on us to ensure the program continues to work for those who rely on it. Here in Maine, 369,221 Mainers collect Social Security benefits, and 102,000 are lifted out of poverty every month. Social Security helps Mainers live and retire with dignity, offers crucial support to those with disabilities, and serves as a financial lifeline for families navigating the loss of a loved one.
Social Security will never “go broke.” That’s a fact. But the program does face funding challenges. The most recent Social Security Trustees’ Report finds that the surplus will run out in 2035. To prevent that shortfall, Congress must once again step up – as it did when it reformed the program in 1983 – before millions of Americans are left with less than they’ve earned.
Customer service is another area where Social Security is facing challenges. Administrative chaos at the Social Security Administration (SSA) this year has contributed to a customer service crisis that has been ongoing for years. SSA has struggled with call wait times, hold times, customer service resolutions and staffing issues, according to SSA’s own data. Many Americans who need access to the program face hours on the phone or in line at their local offices. In addition, budget and staffing levels have strained SSA’s ability to provide vital services.
For more than 65 years, AARP has worked with every administration and Congress to protect and strengthen Social Security. Now, AARP is leading the charge to defend our Social Security from harmful changes, and to ensure it remains strong for your children and grandchildren. From now until August, AARP state offices across the country will celebrate Social Security’s 90th anniversary in a number of ways, including at Pride Festivals across Maine in June.
But this is more than a celebration. It’s a call to action.
Social Security is your money—you earned it. And AARP will never stop fighting to make sure it’s there when you need it.
Let’s honor 90 years of stability—and work together to ensure Social Security stays strong for the next 90. Please visit states.aarp.org/maine/social-security-90 to learn more and to take our Fight for Social Security pledge today.
