Riechel Reports - San Bruno CA Events

Article Source: Robert Riechel

Recently I wrote our CA U.S. Senator Schiff

CA Senator Schiff
SUBJECT:   SAVING Social Security
I have written all 3 of you numerous times previously asking each of you the following questions:
1.       WHAT bill(s) have YOU introduced in congress to SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY for us?
2.       WHAT bill(s) have YOU become a sponsor of that proposes plans to SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY for us?
3.       WHAT bill(s) have YOU voted for or will vote for to SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY for us?
I received a reply from one of you of approximately 500 words that did NOT specifically address any of the above 3 questions. I received nothing from the other 2 of you. HOW is this representing me as a voter?
Here is what YOU each can do::
1.       Slightly increasing the employee & employer percentage of Social Security taxes both pay should put more money in the pot for future payouts.
2.       DO NOT keep raising the age at which taxpayers can begin drawing Social Security or when they can start drawing the maximum monthly social security amounts.
3.       VOTE for repaying ALL monies collected as Social Security taxes that went to or is going to non Social Security monthly payments.
4.       DRASTICALLY raise the earned wages limit subject to Social Security wages by BOTH the employee and employer.
OR
5.       ELIMINATE the current maximum of earned wages subject to Social Security wages PERIOD. This one action would quickly add many more dollars that can then be paid out. Look at how many years (yes years) YOU have failed to collect additional monies to increase the amount available for monthly payouts. These lost years of incoming dollars cannot be regained!    YOU call this acceptable representation of your constituents?
NOW I read the following:
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., proposed borrowing $1.5 trillion from the U.S. Treasury and investing that money in a diversified fund, similar to a standard 401(k) portfolio. The fund would be held in escrow for 75 years, completely separate from Social Security’s existing trust funds, according to Cassidy’s testimony at the hearing.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., reintroduced the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act, which would apply payroll taxes to all income above $400,000. The bill would also extend the tax to investment income and close a loophole that lets some wealthy pass-
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., signaled interest in reducing or capping benefits for high-earning retirees rather than raising taxes on anyone currently working.
WHICH of these 3 proposed bills:
DO YOU SUPPORT
WILL YOU BECOME A CO-SPONSOR OF
WILL YOU VOTE FOR
Or will you keep kicking the can down the road and NOT representing MY needs and NOT being MY working congressman?
/s/ Robert Riechel

Today I received the following

Dear Robert:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the conflict in Iran. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

President Trump’s actions are drawing our country into yet another foreign war — that a majority of Americans don’t want — without any evidence of Iran posing an imminent threat of attack and without Congressional authorization. The Constitution gives Congress alone the power to declare war. If President Trump believed that the threat posed by Iran justified going to war, and risking the lives of our troops, and the expenditure of billions in taxpayer dollars, he should have come to Congress and made the case for a war authorization. He did not, and still has not. That is why I, along with several of my Senate colleagues, introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to stop this illegal, unnecessary war with Iran without an explicit authorization by Congress. The Senate voted on our War Powers Resolution on March 4th, 2026, and, unfortunately, did not pass the measure. Nevertheless, Congress must not give up its constitutional power, or voice, at this critical moment. The very next day, on March 5th, 2026, I introduced a new War Powers Resolution that would, once again, direct the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran.

The Iranian regime is a brutal and murderous dictatorship; Ayatollah Khamenei slaughtered his own people, sponsored terrorism for decades that claimed American lives, and vowed to wipe Israel off the map. I strongly condemned the Iranian regime’s murder and imprisonment of thousands of civilian protestors by formally cosponsoring a Senate resolution (S.Res.606) condemning the Government of Iran for its suppression of the right of Iranians to peacefully assemble. I also cosponsored the Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom, and Accountability Act of 2026 (S.3380), a bipartisan bill designed to increase pressure on Iran by expanding internet access amid regime blackouts and repression, enforcing sanctions on human rights violators including their enablers, and promoting human rights documentation and accountability. I will always stand in support of Iranians yearning to be from the authoritarian yoke of this regime. But Iran’s malign behavior does not give President Trump the authority to unilaterally initiate a war of choice.

Since the beginning of this war, Iran has fired missiles and drones at its neighbors and others in the region, including Israel and Gulf states, and against U.S. military bases. U.S. service members have tragically been killed and injured, and thousands of Americans abroad are now stranded in a conflict zone. Moreover, the U.S. is now spending billions of dollars on the war that could have been spent on healthcare, hospitals, schools, and other vital needs at home. And Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is now driving up the cost of gas and groceries. The president promised to lower prices and to keep us out of another war in the Middle East — he has now betrayed both promises.

The Trump Administration did not demonstrate that Iran posed an imminent threat of attack against the United States, provided no clear timeline regarding how long the conflict is expected to persist, refused to rule out American boots on the ground, and failed to articulate a clear strategy for what comes next. The Trump-Vance Administration’s purported rationales for this war have shifted repeatedly, but one thing is certain: this war has unleashed chaos that hurts Americans, our allies and partners, and Iranian civilians alike.

Please be assured that I will do everything in my power to hold President Trump accountable to our Constitution and to the American people, and to stop him from embroiling the United States in another forever war.

Transparency has been a goal of mine throughout my time in Congress. You can find detailed information on every bill introduced in the Senate on Congress.gov , including the summary and full text of the legislation, which Senators have co-sponsored it, and the most recent action taken by Congress.

An ongoing job of a Senator is to help constituents solve problems with federal agencies, access services, and get their questions answered promptly. On my website , I offer a guide to the services my office can provide, as well as a contact form where you can share your priorities with me. You can also connect with me online via Facebook or Twitter , and you can always reach my office by phone at (202) 224-3841.

Thank you again for your thoughts. I hope you will continue to share your views and ideas with me.

Sincerely,

Adam B. Schiff
UNITED STATES SENATOR