Second, Republicans and Democrats agree on this much: current benefits should not change for those in or near retirement. But our children and grandchildren want, need, and deserve the certainty that Social Security will be there for them.
Third, the reality is that America and Social Security have changed over the past 76 years. Today, people live longer, healthier lives. When Social Security was created, Americans lived on average until age 64 and Social Security’s retirement age was 65. According to the Social Security actuaries, had Congress tied Social Security’s full retirement age to increases in life expectancy from the beginning, instead of being 66 today, it would be close to 71. It’s no wonder members on both sides of the aisle have expressed support for slowly raising the retirement age over time for younger workers.
Fourth, with chronic unemployment, falling incomes and so many young people unable to find work, nothing we do should make it harder for Americans to find good paying jobs. Congress has raised the payroll tax rate 14 times since 1935 when the tax rate for employees and employers was just one percent on earnings up to $3,000 a year. Clearly history proves that we can’t tax our way to solvency.
Fifth, today, nearly 55 million Americans receive benefits averaging $1,078 per month. By 2035, over 90 million will receive benefits. There are simply not enough young workers to support the Baby Boomers who are retiring at a rate 10,000 a day for the next 19 years. In 1950 for instance there were 16.5 workers for each beneficiary. Today there are just 2.9 workers and in 14 years there will only be 2.3 workers per beneficiary.
That said, Republicans only make up one-half of one-third of the government. The president and Democrats will need to be part of the effort to fix Social Security for good.
Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security.