From his early days in the United States Senate, Claude Pepper continually advocated for the expansion of Social Security accommodations for all older Americans. The Claude Pepper Papers trace this advocacy from the Senate, to the U.S. House of Representatives, where in 1983 he was appointed to the National Commission on Social Security Reform. Informally known as the Greenspan Commission after its chair, Alan Greenspan, the 15 member group was appointed by the President and Congress in 1981 to address a monetary crisis that the Social Security system was facing at the time. By a vote of 12-3, the commission was able to extend financial protections for older Americans, survivors of loss, and disability insurance and hospital insurance programs.
The image for today’s post comes from the Claude Pepper Papers and in it, we can see Representative Pepper in his Washington office answering questions from reporters following the reading of the results of the Greenspan Commission on January 18, 1983.
All of Representative Pepper’s work with the Social Security Program can be viewed at the Claude Pepper Library and you can find detailed information in our finding aids.
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