September 01, 2023

GOP Presidential Candidates Continue to Attack Earned Benefits

Several 2024 Republican presidential candidates are publicly embracing policies that would cut or end earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. In 2020, former President Donald Trump told Fox News “we’ll be cutting” Social Security and said he was open to looking at entitlement reforms as a second term issue. Last week, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley told Bloomberg Markets the retirement age “is way too low,” suggesting it should be increased for younger workers.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie referred to politicians reluctant to pursue Social Security cuts as “liars and cowards,” and doubled down on his position during a conference in Atlanta last weekend. Mike Pence has called for Social Security privatization as well as “common sense” solutions for “entitlement reform.” Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott have both voted in favor of raising the retirement age in the past.

“Older Americans need to pay attention because our earned benefits are on the line,” said Alliance President Robert Roach, Jr. “Instead of attacking retirees and our earned benefits, these candidates should be working to strengthen retirement security.”