Social Security Reform: Some Mixed Messaging - nationalinterest.org
In a post on nationalinterest.org, technology writer Stephen Silver offers commentary on the various congressional messaging surfacing on the subject of Social Security reform. Silver’s article references some of the positions taken recently by various sources, including Rick Scott, Nancy Pelosi, and President Biden. As he points out editorially, Social Security seems to have become a salient issue in the runup to the November midterms.
Despite the increase in attention, however, Silver’s article (which you can access here) notes that activity on several bills in Congress aimed at shoring up Social Security and addressing its long-term fiscal problems appears to be stalled, as evidenced by the House Speaker’s guidance to put the brakes on John Larson’s (D-CT) Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust bill edging toward its markup phase. In this regard, Silver notes comments from the Speaker’s office that hint at a disconnect between Democrats and Republicans on the future of Social Security.
As has been stressed in several previous posts on this site, The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) believes Social Security must be preserved and modernized. This can be achieved with no tax increases by changing cost of living adjustments, the retirement age, and delayed credits. AMAC advocates for a bipartisan compromise, “The Social Security Guarantee Act,” taking selected portions of bills introduced by former Rep. Johnson (R-TX) and current Rep. Larson and merging them with the Association’s own research. One component is Social Security PLUS, a voluntary plan to allow all earners to have more income at retirement. This component is intended to appeal especially to younger workers. AMAC is resolute in its mission that Social Security be preserved and modernized and has gotten the attention of lawmakers in DC, meeting with a great many congressional offices and their staffs over the past several years. Read AMAC’s plan here.