WASHINGTON, D.C., January 8, 2024 — The Niskanen Center commends a recent letter from a bipartisan group of organizations urging Congress to update the Supplemental Security Income program’s asset limits by incorporating the bipartisan, bicameral SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act in potential upcoming legislative packages. Signatories include the United States Chamber of Commerce, AARP, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, the Faith and Freedom Coalition, and the National Association of Evangelicals.
“Outdated SSI asset rules hold enormous consequences for disabled Americans and their families,” says Will Raderman, Niskanen’s employment policy analyst. “The meager resource limits prevent recipients from preparing for emergencies and disincentivize them from pursuing work and marriage out of fear of losing critical income support. We join these groups in urging Congress to look for avenues to raise the SSI asset limits, which haven’t been adjusted since the 1980s despite increases to the cost of living.”
Niskanen’s policy research aims to equip federal lawmakers to understand how federal safety net and disability programs too often penalize responsible saving, marriage, and attempts to work. The think tank supports critical reforms to the SSI program, including the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act from Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and James Lankford (R-OK).
The Niskanen Center is a 501(c)(3) advocacy organization established in 2014 to change public policy through direct engagement in the policymaking process.