If Congress fails to act, the Social Security Trust Fund will only be able to pay about 78 percent of scheduled benefits, starting in 2032. This would result in a 22 percent benefit cut for beneficiaries, a nearly $500 a month cut for the average retiree. But instead of focusing on solutions that strengthen and increase benefits, some lawmakers want to create unaccountable fiscal commissions to draft legislation to cut our benefits behind closed doors and fast-track them through Congress.