On Wednesday, the Senate will vote on a proposal to increase Social Security benefits for people eligible for non-Social Security government pensions. The Social Security Fairness Act, which easily passed the House of Representatives thanks to bipartisan support, will now be put to a final vote before it is signed into law.
Despite bipartisan support, even among Senators, the Republican party appears to be divided, with many opposing the bill due to its high cost.
One anonymous Senator who was present during the closed-door discussions stated, “I think most of our members were alarmed that something so big would come straight to the Senate floor” because it had not been marked up by the Senate Finance Committee.
The opinions of the Senators opposed to the Social Security Fairness Act
The lack of support coincides with other unpopular proposals, such as gradually raising the retirement age to offset costs, as demanded by a group of Senate conservatives led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
As Paul explained to the Hill. “It hastens the bankruptcy of Social Security. Social Security is expected to go bankrupt in 2034. This will speed things up by about a year. It adds $200 billion to an already-underfunded program. If you intend to expand its mandate, you should pay for it.
One of the long-standing proposals is to gradually raise the age of eligibility. I’ll add that as an amendment. … If we gradually raise the retirement age [by three months per year for the next 12 years], it will reach 70 and be linked to longevity.
That would pay for the expansion. I will not vote to expand [Social Security benefits] unless it is paid for. Several other people oppose this bill as well. So it’s possible that the others just want to put it off as long as possible in the hopes of not being able to finish it this week,” he said.
Surprisingly, many Republican legislators, including President-Elect Trump, are reluctant to discuss retirement age because their primary demographic is seniors.
However, if Senator Paul drags out the debate, the bill may not pass and may also delay the Senate’s consideration of a stopgap funding bill, which must pass by the end of the day Friday to avoid a government shutdown.
Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) weighed in less strongly, noting the intense divide within the party. “There was a lot of conversation about it today. I believe it will ultimately come down to individual members making their own decisions.
Obviously, I’m concerned about Social Security’s long-term solvency, which is something I believe we should address,” he added.
But not everyone is as tempered; even though the bill would only accelerate the Social Security shortfall by six months (according to the Congressional Budget Office) and that more reform is required for the overall survival of the program, Senators like Mike Lee (R-Utah), a prominent conservative, have vehemently held funding as the major issue.
“It must be offset somehow. We have never in history, to my knowledge, unleashed such a massive bomb that would blow a $200 billion hole in the Social Security trust fund,” he stated. I recognize the need to address some inequities that have emerged in this area.
I don’t think any member of our conference disagrees that we need to make some repairs, but I believe we’re kidding ourselves and mistreating the American people if we blow a $200 billion hole in it and don’t think about how to fix it,” Lee said.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is among its staunch opponents. “Hopefully, it is defeated. Many co-sponsors were motivated by the impact it has on their state’s residents.
They always assumed it would be paid for. It’s far too broad. “It provides benefits to people who were not harmed by the 1970s fix,” he said, referring to the Government Pension Act. “I would view it as grotesquely irresponsible.”
Republican co-sponsors include Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Pete Ricketts (Neb.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Markwayne Mullin (Okla.), John Boozman (Ark.), Rick Scott (Florida), Jerry Moran (Kan.), and John Kennedy (La.), as well as Vice President-elect JD Vance.
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