Gillibrand legislation seeks added Social Security benefits

Amid skyrocketing prices in President Trump’s America, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is part of an effort to increase Social Security benefits and help seniors combat the rising cost of living.

Wednesday, Gillibrand introduced legislation to expand Social Security benefits for widowed and surviving divorced spouses. She was joined on the legislation by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

The Surviving Widow(er) Income Fair Treatment (SWIFT) Act makes necessary changes to Social Security benefit rules by addressing outdated benefit caps, arbitrary legal restrictions, and claiming requirements — resulting in increased benefits for widowed and surviving divorced spouses.

“Our seniors have spent a lifetime working hard and paying into Social Security, and they deserve to receive adequate benefits and retire with dignity, not spend their golden years just trying to get by,” said Gillibrand. “But outdated rules and antiquated policies mean that too many seniors, especially widowed spouses, and women disproportionately, aren’t receiving the benefits they’ve earned or being treated fairly. Our SWIFT Act will help modernize the program and strengthen benefits for our seniors.”

The SWIFT Act allows widowed and surviving divorced spouses with disabilities to receive 100% of the survivor benefits they are entitled to, regardless of their age, and empowers widowed and surviving divorced spouses to increase their survivor benefits beyond current arbitrary caps. The legislation also expands child-in-care benefits for widowed and surviving divorced spouses caring for children, significantly helping families struggling with the costs of caregiving.

The legislation is supported by a number of organizations, including AFL-CIO, AFSCME, National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement, The Arc of the United States, Justice in Aging, Alliance for Retired Americans, National Association of Disability Representatives, Social Security Works, and Strengthen Social Security Coalition.

As the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, Gillibrand is continuing her longstanding fight to increase benefits and lower costs for seniors. She recently introduced the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act, which would provide a $200-per-month increase to Social Security checks until July 2026, and the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, which would increase Social Security benefits by leveraging the formula used to calculate yearly cost-of-living adjustments to better account for seniors’ expenses. In response to Trump administration cuts and overhauls at the Social Security Administration, she has rallied alongside seniors and unions to demand a reversal of staffing and service reductions, and she introduced the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act to undo President Trump’s damage to the agency.

Gillibrand is also part of Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks on Social Security and to ensure the American people can continue to rely on these essential programs that they have earned. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about the Republican agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.