Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Richard J. Durbin

Democrat on Introductory Statement on S. 4979 2026-07-14

1756 words · 128 sentences · 157 clauses

Statement grade

Average 78 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 7%Claims 54%Reasoning 11%Anecdote 14%Positioning 4%Promise 5%Aside 1%The ask 4%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Procedure · 9 wordsI would like to speak on a separate topic.Procedure Claims · 20 wordsIn 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt decided to try something. The idea was to create a pension plan for every American. Reasoning · 30 wordsWhy? Because many people, despite working hard their whole lives, doing their best to save money, ended up almost penniless when they retired, when they were forced to quit working. Anecdote · 32 wordsThose were the days when Grandma and Grandpa moved into the spare bedroom in your house. If that didn’t happen to you, ask your father or even grandfather--they will remember those times.Anecdote Claims · 90 wordsSo Franklin Roosevelt said: Let’s create a pension system so that after you retire, there will be some money coming in. You pay into it all your working life. When you reach the age of retirement, you get a benefit from it. They called it Social Security. It was passed into law in 1935.¹ It made its first payment 5 years later in 1940.² I think it has become arguably the most important social program in America. Certainly, more Americans have participated in Social Security than almost every other program. Reasoning · 18 wordsAnd they should. They earned it. They worked for it. They were promised. The promise should be kept. Procedure · 16 wordsHow is Social Security doing? Well, that is why I am standing here before you today.Procedure Claims · 44 wordsLast month, the Social Security Board of Trustees released an alarming report about the status of Social Security’s finances.³ That Board found that Social Security will be unable to make full payments to eligible Americans by 2032.⁴ That is not that far away--6 years. Positioning · 12 wordsThis is alarming, and it is a call to arms to Congress.Positioning Anecdote · 187 wordsI was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982.⁵ Scared to death that I was going to be a one-term Congressman, I was looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes to see what was going to knock me out of my perch there. Well, they came in and said: There is news for you, new Congressman. Social Security is about to go broke. The year was 1983, and we could see in the short term, Social Security unable to make its benefit payments. That would have been a disaster in 1983. We rose to the occasion. We had a Republican President, Ronald Reagan.⁶ We had a Democratic House of Representatives with Tip O’Neill.⁷ We set out to write a change in Social Security that would save it so it could keep making payments. Well, it took a long time, it took several months, but we got it done, and we passed it. Our goal was to buy 50 years of solvency for Social Security, make changes to the program so that it would last, keep paying its benefits as promised for 50 years.⁸ That was 1983.Anecdote Claims · 25 wordsI voted for it. Democrats and Republicans all voted for it.⁹ To my knowledge, not a single Member of Congress lost reelection over that vote. Anecdote · 24 wordsPeople said: We had to do it. There was no question about it. It was a tough vote, but it was the right vote.Anecdote Procedure · 3 wordsIt was 1983.Procedure Claims · 10 wordsFifty years of solvency--where does it take you? To 2033. Procedure · 9 wordsAnd what is the situation we were just told?Procedure Claims · 23 wordsThis program that we value so much is going to last until the end of 2032. It worked. Fifty years of changes worked. Procedure · 6 wordsNow the question is basically this: ProcedureReasoning · 22 wordsCan we respond with the same bipartisan effort to buy 50 years more of solvency in Social Security? I think we can. Claims · 92 wordsSocial Security unable to make its payments in 2032 is an alarm bell. It is a call to action for Congress, both political parties--not just Democrats but Republicans as well. Social Security is the bedrock promise of secure retirement and has been for over 90 years in America.¹⁵ Americans pay into the system throughout their careers of hard work, and come the time, that same program was supposed to be there to give them peace of mind when they seek retirement. Well, we know we have 6 short years to achieve that. Procedure · 12 wordsWhat is going to happen at the end of that 6-year period?Procedure Claims · 18 wordsThe Board of advisers tells us Social Security will only be able to pay 78 percent of benefits.¹⁰ Procedure · 7 wordsTranslate that, Durbin. Put it in English.Procedure Claims · 17 wordsThat means the average senior citizen faces monthly--monthly--benefit cuts of $450--$450 a month cut from Social Security.¹¹ Reasoning · 14 wordsFor some, that is quite an inconvenience. For others, that is quite a disaster. Claims · 18 wordsIt would force many seniors to choose between purchasing groceries, paying their utility bills, or filling their prescriptions. Procedure · 7 wordsHonest to goodness, it is that basic.Procedure Claims · 64 wordsSeventy million Americans, including seniors and people with disabilities, rely on Social Security to afford the basics in life: ¹²food, medication, housing, utilities, and so many other things. In my home State of Illinois, more than 2 million people receive Social Security.¹³ Twenty percent of Illinois seniors rely on Social Security for virtually all of their income.¹⁴ That is it, that Social Security check. Reasoning · 31 wordsIf Congress sits on its hands and does nothing to respond to this crisis, millions of Americans will be expected to make ends meet with fewer and fewer dollars each month. Claims · 51 wordsThe fact of the matter is that Congress has known about this issue of insolvency for quite some time, Unearned certaintybut year after year, Congress has avoided confronting the question, instead kicking the can down the road for a future Congress to show the courage to step up and save the program. Positioning · 20 wordsThat is unacceptable. We owe it to our seniors. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our reputation.Positioning Reasoning · 14 wordsWe know that the longer we wait, the more drastic the policy changes become.Unearned certainty Positioning · 10 wordsWe owe it to every American to save Social Security.Positioning Claims · 25 wordsToday, I am doing something that is rarely done in the Senate: introducing a bill sponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators--four Democrats, four Republicans.¹⁶ Promise · 9 wordsOur goal is to protect and strengthen Social Security. Claims · 85 wordsOur bill is called the PROMISE Act.¹⁷ It seeks to create a fair, bipartisan process to ensure Congress finally debates and votes on the future of Social Security. Under our proposal, the independent and bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board would collect public input and send a proposal to Congress that would keep the trust fund for Social Security solvent for 50 years at least. That would kick-start a process in both the House and the Senate to do something we rarely, rarely do around here. Aside · 9 wordsIt is called legislating--writing a law, passing a law.Aside Claims · 21 wordsUnder our bill, Congress would have the opportunity to hold hearings, offer amendments, debate competing proposals, and ultimately vote on them. Procedure · 16 wordsYou say at this point: OK, Senator Durbin. What is this plan to save Social Security?Procedure Positioning · 7 wordsThat is the beauty of this proposal.Positioning Claims · 81 wordsWe create an opportunity for alternative plans to be offered, and the one with the most votes--as long as it gets 60 votes in the Senate--the one with the most votes will prevail and will be the work product of the Senate on Social Security. Our legislation does not lower the 60-vote threshold of the Senate, nor does it predetermine any specific outcome. It may not work. We may not be able to put together any bill that gets 60 votes. Positioning · 11 wordsBut goodness gracious, we were sent here to try, weren’t we?Positioning Promise · 20 wordsIt simply guarantees that the American people, through their elected representatives, are finally going to have an open, transparent debate. Claims · 94 wordsI have gone to Members of the Senate on both sides of the aisle and said: What we want to do is give you your day in court, give you your day in the Senate. You bring your best idea and the Parliamentarian looks at it and says there is proof here that this has at least 50 years of solvency for Social Security, you can offer this amendment, Senator. Give it your best. Members would be able to offer substitute proposals provided that it is at least 50 years of Social Security solvency. Procedure · 6 wordsLet me say it another way.Procedure Claims · 119 wordsEvery Member with a serious proposal for the most important social program in America would have the opportunity to bring their idea to the table, to the floor, and get a vote. That is so rare around here. It restores the Senate to debating, amending, and voting under regular order--compared to what we see today. Many of my colleagues have been working on proposals for a number of years. Many are broadly popular. I will note that the senior Senator from Ohio, a Republican, and the senior Senator from Massachusetts, a Democrat, recently shared their idea to shore up the program, a bipartisan plan. They may offer an amendment to do just that. Congress has no shortage of ideas; Positioning · 14 wordswe simply have a lack of will on both the left and the right.Positioning Claims · 10 wordsMany stakeholders would rather wait for that perfect political moment. Positioning · 5 wordsWell, that is a mistake.Positioning Reasoning · 15 wordsI worry that moment will never come, and Americans will suffer because of that calculation. Claims · 16 wordsThe PROMISE Act finally creates a pathway for those ideas to receive the consideration they deserve. Reasoning · 15 wordsAmericans sent us to Congress not to observe the problems but to solve the problems, Claims · 25 wordsand that is what I am trying to do with the PROMISE Act. There is no greater long-term challenge before Congress than preserving Social Security. Promise · 7 wordsNo excuses--we can do it this year. The ask · 57 wordsSo I urge my colleagues to support this bill, to set up the process, the procedure, to bring it to the floor and have alternative substitutes for Social Security’s future offered for consideration, for debate, and for a vote. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and finally kick-start the process of tackling this important issue. Promise · 15 wordsWe will be working to pass this measure before we depart for the August recess. Procedure · 8 wordsIs it a long shot? Maybe it is.Procedure Reasoning · 35 wordsBut I think, when we understand the gravity of the challenge and the important responsibility we shoulder when we accepted this position as Senators, we will understand that we have to rise to that challenge. Promise · 42 wordsThe eight of us--four Democrats, four Republicans--are willing to step up and say: Let’s move forward. Let’s not be afraid to legislate. Let’s do it for the good of Social Security and the millions and millions of Americans who count on it. Mr. President, The ask · 15 wordsI ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. Procedure · 19 wordsThere being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 60

54 of 56 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I would like to speak on a separate topic.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Those were the days when Grandma and Grandpa moved into the spare bedroom in your house.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “If that didn’t happen to you, ask your father or even grandfather--they will remember those times.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “How is Social Security doing?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Well, that is why I am standing here before you today.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “This is alarming,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and it is a call to arms to Congress.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Scared to death that I was going to be a one-term Congressman, I was looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes to see what was going to knock me out of my perch there.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Well, they came in and said:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “There is news for you, new Congressman.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Social Security is about to go broke.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “The year was 1983,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and we could see in the short term, Social Security unable to make its benefit payments.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “That would have been a disaster in 1983.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We rose to the occasion.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We had a Republican President, Ronald Reagan.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We had a Democratic House of Representatives with Tip O’Neill.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We set out to write a change in Social Security that would save it so it could keep making payments.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Well, it took a long time, it took several months,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “but we got it done,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and we passed it.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Our goal was to buy 50 years of solvency for Social Security, make changes to the program so that it would last, keep paying its benefits as promised for 50 years.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “That was 1983.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “People said:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We had to do it.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “There was no question about it.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It was a tough vote,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “but it was the right vote.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “It was 1983.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “And what is the situation we were just told?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Now the question is basically this:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “What is going to happen at the end of that 6-year period?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Translate that, Durbin.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Put it in English.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Honest to goodness, it is that basic.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “That is unacceptable.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We owe it to our seniors.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We owe it to ourselves.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We owe it to our reputation.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We owe it to every American to save Social Security.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “It is called legislating--writing a law, passing a law.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “You say at this point:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “OK, Senator Durbin.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “What is this plan to save Social Security?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “That is the beauty of this proposal.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “But goodness gracious, we were sent here to try, weren’t we?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Let me say it another way.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “we simply have a lack of will on both the left and the right.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Well, that is a mistake.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Is it a long shot?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Maybe it is.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “as follows:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 95

2 of 56 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “The fact of the matter is”A certainty formula that asserts the claim about Congress’s knowledge without citing a source.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “We know that the longer we wait”‘We know’ asserts the conclusion in place of any source or analysis.

Claims · 17

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“It was passed into law in 1935”Social Security was passed into law in 1935.search
2“It made its first payment 5 years later in 1940”Social Security made its first payment in 1940.search
3“Last month, the Social Security Board of Trustees released an alarming report about the status of Social Security’s finances”The Social Security Board of Trustees released a report on Social Security’s finances in June 2026.search
4“Social Security will be unable to make full payments to eligible Americans by 2032”The Social Security Board of Trustees found Social Security will be unable to make full payments to eligible Americans by 2032.search
5“I was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982”Richard Durbin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982.search
6“We had a Republican President, Ronald Reagan”Ronald Reagan was President of the United States in 1983.search
7“a Democratic House of Representatives with Tip O’Neill”The House of Representatives in 1983 had a Democratic majority led by Tip O’Neill.search
8“Our goal was to buy 50 years of solvency for Social Security”The 1983 Social Security reform legislation aimed to provide 50 years of solvency for the program.search
9“Democrats and Republicans all voted for it”The 1983 Social Security reform passed with votes from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.search
10“Social Security will only be able to pay 78 percent of benefits”The Social Security Board of Trustees projects the program will be able to pay only 78 percent of scheduled benefits after trust fund depletion.search
11“the average senior citizen faces monthly--monthly--benefit cuts of $450”A 78-percent payout level would mean average Social Security benefit cuts of about $450 per month.search
12“Seventy million Americans, including seniors and people with disabilities, rely on Social Security”About 70 million Americans, including seniors and people with disabilities, receive Social Security benefits.search
13“more than 2 million people receive Social Security”More than 2 million people in Illinois receive Social Security.search
14“Twenty percent of Illinois seniors rely on Social Security for virtually all of their income”Twenty percent of Illinois seniors rely on Social Security for virtually all of their income.search
15“has been for over 90 years in America”Social Security has existed for over 90 years in America.search
16“a bipartisan group of Senators--four Democrats, four Republicans”The bill Durbin introduced is sponsored by a bipartisan group of four Democratic and four Republican Senators.search
17“Our bill is called the PROMISE Act”The bill introduced by Durbin is called the PROMISE Act.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15