“Do you think Social Security disability insurance is what people think of when they think of Social Security? I don’t think so. Yet it’s the fastest growing Social Security program.” – Mick Mulvaney
Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935 hoping to woo more left leaners into his tent the next election. Although he billed it as a supplemental retirement plan, few people know it also included a clause for a cash welfare system and unemployment insurance. Since FDR had already invented an alphabet soup of federal programs, he stressed Social Security would be a retirement assistance program only. “In politics, nothing happens by accident.” – Franklin Roosevelt
Getting a nervous public to buy into Social Security was easy during the Great Depression since old-age poverty was a huge concern. For much of our history, Americans had lived within extended families, which included children, parents, and grandparents as well. The elderly who couldn’t care for themselves had fiscal support from family members. But that changed during the Depression.
Social Security today does not resemble FDR’s “supplemental” remedy. For many Americans, it’s the only retirement they have. It has grown into an odious disability and adscititious program with survivor benefits. Also, Social Security administers Medicare and it provides SS numbers. These numbers are crucial for many federal programs including taxes, employment, voter IDs and more.
Depending on the political flavor of the country, there are always critics and devotees of the SS system. Critics fully believe they could have invested in programs that pay much higher dividends. Others claim they would give up their life to save it. The left is constantly accusing the right of trying to cut benefits, reduce payouts, and raise the retirement age. The GOP continues to defend its position to keep it healthy and secure. Social Security is the biggest political football on Capitol Hill.
Since President Donald Trump has returned to the White House, a core focus of his presidency has been to eliminate waste in the federal government. He created a temporary agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the watchful eye of Tesla CEO Elon Musk to investigate federal waste in all government agencies and instructed every department to cut waste and reduce debt.
As soon as it was announced that DOGE was founded, the Democrats blew a gasket. Considering Democrats are now the party of ”big labor unions and big business,” you’d think they’d welcome one of their own running DOGE. Well, think again! While funding for several agencies have been cut, and the left’s “sacred cow,” the Department of Education, could most likely have its doors shut, there has been nary a peep from Democrats as they see big government is cut down to size.
Win or lose, diehard Democrats know how to keep their message in front of the public. They simply reached into their bag of liberal tricks and pull out their trusty “Trump card,” Social Security. Within days of Trump announcing the formation of DOGE, talk of him cutting Social Security was headline news. “Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route.” – Doug Larson
When now former Vice President Kamala Harris lost every swing state and the popular and electorate vote, beltway leaders were walking around like they didn’t have a friend in the world. According to a CNN poll taken shortly after the election, the Democratic Party’s favorability rating among voters was the lowest in decades. Party leaders said Democrats are not doing enough to derail the Donald Trump express.
A total of 57% Democrats and 42% left-voting independents say that Democrats should do more to destroy the Republican agenda, rather than working with the GOP. They complain Democrats and progressives are trying too hard to please moderates instead of moving the party further left.
To make matters worse for progressives, in June 2024, Donald Trump told supporters at a large campaign rally, “As president, I will not cut one penny from Social Security or Medicare.” He made a virtually identical statement in July 2024 on social media. “I will not cut one penny from Social Security or Medicare, and I will not raise the retirement age by one day. You can count on it!”
Two new Data for Progress surveys of Democrats and Independents who lean to the left reveal a party with no clear leader and a base of voters dissatisfied with their party. They want leadership willing to fight back against Trump and try to win back the working class. Democratic voters said they’d grade their party a C or below. One in five Democratic voters (21%) give their party an F.
In the last few decades after the “Big Recession,” a cloak of insecurity blanketed America. This was especially true with the boomers. Yes, many of those boomers were the same people who were predicting doom and gloom for Social Security if major funding reforms weren’t undertaken.
When George Bush was talking about privatizing Social Security, his poll numbers dropped like the Titanic’s anchor. With all of the retirees in Florida, Bushes’ advisors counseled him to “tone down the rhetoric” if he wanted to win in Florida. Bush barely won the recount after changing his tune.
After a decade of progressives controlling Washington, the damage done to the economy and our lackluster employment and investment markets, it looks like the tables are turning “right” on Social Security. With the GOP back in charge, America is having a serendipity with Social Security.
In fact, Republicans proposed a 21% increase for the Social Security budget from 2025 to 2026, according to the CBO. This is a substantial uptick in the retirement program’s funding compared to past years. CEO of MDRN Capital, Aaron Cirksena, told Newsweek: “The big increase in Social Security’s budget for 2026 is largely due to more Boomers retiring and inflation-driven cost-of-living adjustments. After that, spending growth slows and COLA adjustments will be more predictable.”
Two new Data for Progress surveys of Democrats and Independents who lean Democratic reveal a party with no clear leader and a base of dissatisfied voters. These voters want a leadership willing to move the party back to the far left and add programs or identity groups. Their biggest problem is Donald Trump promised not to cut Social Security or Medicare. He has only asked for a review of their staffing and office budget so he can modernize the program so it remains healthy for years.
A Biden campaign TV ad falsely claimed that a government analysis of Donald Trump’s “planned cuts to Social Security” shows “if Trump gets his way, Social Security benefits will run out in just three years.” According to FactCheck.org, that statement is absolutely false. Donald Trump has vowed to strengthen Social Security, not kill it. Furthermore, any changes to Social Security would have to go through Congress, including Trump’s temporary payroll forgiveness tax (which he really wants), which would not “gut” the program. “I’m going to keep Social Security without change, except I’m going to get rid of the waste, fraud, and abuse; same thing with Medicare.” – Donald Trump
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
