How Should Lawmakers Address Social Security's Looming Insolvency?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
How should lawmakers address the forecast depletion of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds?
For Context: The Medicare trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2036, and the Social Security trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2035.
“Looming Crisis”: The National Review Editorial Board (Right bias) treated the report as a warning, urging lawmakers to not draw the wrong conclusions from the updated forecast. If entitlement programs are not reformed and deplete their funds, the board predicted, then lawmakers will borrow more money to fund the programs, leading to inflation, interest rate hikes, and additional pressure on the economy. The board concluded, “Politicians have a built-in warning mechanism for this looming crisis every single year when the trustees’ reports are released. They can pretend they don’t notice or celebrate a later insolvency date, but they can’t change the math unless they reform the programs.”
“Sooner or Later”: The Washington Post Editorial Board (Lean Left bias) outlined the political dilemma of proposing reforms to entitlement programs, which are highly popular and relied on by many elderly Americans, who vote in large numbers. The board argued that “cuts could become unavoidable.” Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have vowed not to reduce entitlement payments. The board concluded, “The 2024 campaign is probably not going to feature much honest debate about this, but the conversation has to happen sooner or later. Saving Social Security and Medicare requires reform.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
The crisis Biden and Trump don’t want to deal withPresident Biden and former president Donald Trump don’t agree on much, but both have pledged not to touch Social Security benefits. This is a reflection of political reality, which is that a lot of seniors, who tend to vote at high rates, depend on the programs, and that they are popular generally. Social Security has a broadly progressive impact on income distribution: The bottom half of earners rely on it to stay out of poverty in retirement. Financial reality, though, is that if the programs aren’t reformed, and run out...
From the Center
Social Security Warning Issued: 'Heading for Trouble'A financial expert has warned that the Social Security program is "heading for trouble," despite a new report indicating the benefit program is doing well.
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From the Right
The Medicare and Social Security Reports Are Nothing to CelebrateThe Medicare and Social Security trustees’ reports illustrate the same thing they do every year: These programs are not financially sustainable and will require reforms if they are to continue to exist.
The insolvency date for Medicare was extended to 2036, rather than 2031 from last year’s report, leading some to conclude that the program has fundamentally improved. This conclusion is wrongheaded for two reasons.
First, the insolvency date is only for Part A of Medicare, the hospital-insurance trust fund. The bulk of Medicare spending increases in the foreseeable future...
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