To strengthen Americans’ economic security, it’s not enough to reduce basic expenses. We must also protect retirement — and that means pensions and Social Security. It was Wall Street greed that made our economy crash in 2008, not America’s truckers, warehouse workers, retirees and widows. But as a consequence of that crash, the pension funds of many workers are now on the brink of failure. Congress can use this funding bill to shore up these retirement plans and make sure nearly 1.5 million American workers aren’t left holding the bag for Wall Street’s mistakes.

For millions of others, Social Security is a lifeline in retirement. But many older people and Americans with disabilities are now struggling to get their benefits because budget cuts have forced the agency running Social Security to cut thousands of jobs and close 64 field offices since 2010. Congress should restore funding to the agency and help fill the gaps in service so that people can get the benefits they have earned.

This year’s debate over Obamacare was a powerful reminder about the enormous economic burden posed by health care in America. We must keep working to protect the availability of critical, affordable health care for families. This is a huge task, but there are a couple of specific, obvious ways we can make a difference right now in the federal budget.

Mental health care is one. Half of all Americans will experience addiction or a mental health problem in their lifetime. These problems can devastate families emotionally and financially, especially without treatment. The federal government has several programs that support mental health services, but we’re just not doing enough to ensure people get the care they need.

More mental health care is also critical to fighting the opioid epidemic, which is raging across the country without regard to politics — devastating workers and families in our home states of Massachusetts and Vermont, but also in Senator McConnell’s Kentucky. If Congress doubled its funding for key mental health priorities, an extra billion dollars would go to programs that now help support treatment for more than seven million people.

We can also protect and improve health care for America’s veterans. Our service members risked their lives to defend us all — and there is no excuse for nickel-and-diming their health and long-term care. Congress should protect the ability of the Veterans Affairs department to employ thousands of doctors and nurses and to build and maintain extended-care centers for our veterans.

The task in front of Congress over the coming week boils down to a basic question: Does Washington work for all of us or just for those at the top? Congress has a chance, right now, to take steps that will make life a bit better for millions of working people immediately and in the years to come. We should seize it.