\n<\/p>\n
Last week, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech in which he derided Social Security as a \u201cscam,\u201d \u201chighway robbery,\u201d and a \u201cbig, gigantic, blown-up Ponzi scheme,\u201d arguing that the Social Security Trust Fund will become insolvent in the next five years.<\/p>\n
Tuberville also inaccurately claimed that while many Americans \u201cwill never see Social Security benefits that they worked hard to pay into throughout their careers,\u201d undocumented immigrants are \u201cgetting rich\u201d off Social Security. While certain noncitizens can request a Social Security number, they must provide specific documents to verify their identity, legal status and\/or ability to work. In fact, undocumented immigrants often pay into Social Security<\/a> without ever receiving benefits, which works to offset\u00a0the demographic strains that threaten the program\u2019s solvency.<\/p>\n In response to Tuberville\u2019s speech, former U.S. Senator Doug Jones posted a video<\/a> on social media slamming his gubernatorial opponent for attacking a program that supports millions of Americans.<\/p>\n \u201cMillions of people depend on Social Security,\u201d Jones said. \u201cHundreds of thousands of people in Alabama depend on Social Security. They\u2019ve never missed a paycheck, and this guy calls it a \u2018scam.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In the video, Jones also states that \u201cTuberville would know all about scams. He was involved in one\u201d\u2013referencing the criminal investigation into a hedge fund cofounded by Tuberville which resulted in his business partner pleading guilty to fraud<\/a>. Tuberville, who denied any wrongdoing at the time, went on to settle a lawsuit filed by investors who lost millions of dollars through the fund.<\/p>\n The senator has also faced past criticism<\/a> over his management of the Tommy Tuberville Foundation, a charitable organization which has only given a small portion of the money it raises to charity while spending tens of thousands of dollars on annual golf tournaments and other expenses.<\/p>\n Jones also noted that despite his criticisms of the program, Tuberville himself has received $93,000<\/a> in Social Security benefits over the past three years.<\/p>\n