No Privatization of the Postal Service or Social Security!

Below is a transcript of Social Security Works President Nancy Altman’s remarks at the delivery of over 450,000 petitions to save the U.S. Postal Service. The full petition delivery is recorded here.

NANCY ALTMAN: Social Security and the Postal Service are the face of the American government.

They are both beloved. They both work extremely well for the American people.

Their history is actually intertwined. When Social Security was enacted, and people had to get enumerated very quickly, who did Franklin Roosevelt turn to? The letter carriers of this country, to go sit with people and help them fill out their forms.

This is part of our government that works! That’s why Donald Trump and his cronies want to cut them both and set up a false crisis for both. Want to privatize them both! But are we gonna let them?

CROWD: NO!

NANCY ALTMAN: We’re gonna fight. In fact, we are the wealthiest country in the world at the wealthiest moment in our history.

You know what we should be doing? We should be opening post offices around the country, we should be hiring more letter carriers, we should be [decreasing] delivery times.

We should do the same thing with Social Security. We should be expanding benefits and opening field offices!

And you know what? The American people stand with us. These 400,000 signatures were gotten immediately, instantaneously, we could have gotten millions of those because the American people are with us.

They know, across the [ideological spectrum] that the postal service is vital to this country and that Social Security is vital to working families.

So we’re going to fight. This is just the start.

We’re going to oppose all cuts. We’re going to oppose all privatization. We’re going to fight to expand these vital institutions.

Thank you.