Sherrod Brown Wants Congress to "Walk in our shoes"

Members of Congress should not get their Social Security benefits any sooner than other ordinary Americans, said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Yesterday, Brown announced his new bill, the Shared Retirement Sacrifice Act of 2011, that would change rules so members of Congress would get later access to Social Security benefits. Currently the lawmakers can access the payments as early as age 50, while other working Americans must wait to age 66.

“The message is very simple, it’s time for members of Congress to walk in the same shoes as working Americans,” Brown, D-Ohio, said during a noontime conference call with reporters from around the state. As it now stands, congressmen and senators can begin collecting their federal pensions as early as age 50 for anyone with 20 years of service or more, or at any age for someone with at least 25 years of service.