Social Security Act

Audience

The primary audience for the Social Security Act was Congress. Edwin Witte and the other authors of the document were well aware that the language used was crucial to pleasing both Democrats and Republicans in order to get the bill passed.

Another key audience for the act was the Supreme Court. The committee was not at all sure that the Social Security Act would pass muster with the Court and thus drafted the document to address concerns they believed the Court would have. For example, the committee put the Old-Age Retirement Account and the mechanism for collecting funds for that account into separate sections (Title II and Title VIII, respectively). This was intentional; they had doubts as to whether or not the Court would approve what was, in essence, a federal insurance scheme in which the government collected and paid out premiums. By distancing the taxes from the benefits, the drafters of the document attempted to assuage this potential argument from the Court.

The president was part of the audience as well as an author of the document. The committee had to remain true to Roosevelt's vision, while crafting legislation that would pass the scrutiny of Congress and the Court. The Social Security Act upholds Roosevelt's concept of social insurance financed through worker contributions, not solely through government expenditures. In order to create this balance, the committee had to compromise in other areas, such as worker eligibility. Nevertheless, the document reflects a uniquely American idea of social insurance.