Midterms Are Over--Let's Get to Work on Social Security! - AMAC Foundation
OK, the 2026 mid-term election results are now in the books. With Democrats controlling the House and Senate, the playbook for addressing Social Security’s looming financial crisis may change, but the problem hasn’t diminished. The program still faces a near-term cliff and a major long-term shortfall, so it will be interesting to see which bills and proposals gain momentum in the 120th Congress. Despite a shift in legislative control, bipartisan support remains a key ingredient in any forward motion, given the likely filibustering that would accompany critical reform measures.
Will the Commission Approach Come Back Into Focus?
Possibly, the lingering “commission approach” to hammering out a solution will re-emerge as a pathway to compromise.
This year, Congress has been considering two approaches to procedural changes designed to encourage bipartisan cooperation in solving Social Security’s complex insolvency problems. Congress introduced the Bipartisan Social Security Commission Act of 2026 (H.R.9187) in June and the PROMISE Act of 2026 (S. 4979) in July, both aiming to remove the political barriers that have stymied corrective action on Social Security’s financial imbalance for decades.
Both approaches set strict timeliness guidelines, limit deliberations and debate, set timeframes for deliverables, and ensure bipartisan viewpoints and public input inform the resulting proposals. The intent is to reduce legislative delays and force consideration of a comprehensive solution, rather than the distractions of isolated policy recommendations, and, specifically, to embrace, on a bipartisan basis, the enormity of the problem at hand.
While critics welcome the public-input provisions in either approach, they worry that mandated time constraints could limit the breadth of commentary outside Congress.
Although opinions are split on the commission approach, either option offers a forum to make something happen and avoid a financial debacle for America’s seniors, making the approach worth considering.
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.