The GOP’s Position On Social Security In A Nutshell

      From People:

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., ducked questions about the possibility of House Speaker Mike Johnson making cuts to Social Security by appearing to fake a minute-long phone call outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 9.

After he was approached by a reporter for the liberal outlet MeidasTouchand asked about “Mike Johnson’s secret plan to cut Social Security,” Wittman, 67, put his phone to his head and appeared to have a one-sided conversation as the device remained lit up and cycled through apps while he pressed it against his face. During the encounter, the visible phone screen never showed sign that a call was in progress.

“Hey, how you doing? I'm good. I'm good with that. Yeah, I'll be there in just a few minutes,” Wittman said into his phone as soon as the question was asked. …

     This doesn’t sound like someone who would vote to cut Social Security benefits. The GOP can talk about the impending “bankruptcy” of Social Security as if they’re eager for cuts in benefits to happen but they’re not or, at least, they know the voters will not countenance this. Democrats need do nothing other than call the Republican bluff. Dems certainly shouldn’t vote for any cuts in benefits. The GOP will fold in the end. Of course, folding will probably mean funding Social Security out of general revenues rather than a tax increase on the wealthy but that’s way better than any cuts in benefits.

Commissioner Testifying

     Commissioner Frank Bisignano is testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee. His opening statement, touting his accomplishments at the Social Security Administration,  is now available.

     I can’t bring myself to watch. Can you blame me?

Trustees Report

      From a summary of this year’s Trustees Report on the status of Social Security’s trust funds:

… • The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund will be able to pay 100 percent of total scheduled benefits until the fourth quarter of 2032, one quarter earlier than projected last year. At that time, the fund’s reserves will become depleted and continuing program income will be sufficient to pay 78 percent of total scheduled benefits.

• The Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund is projected to be able to pay 100 percent of total scheduled benefits through at least 2100, the last year of this report’s projection period. Last year’s report projected that the DI Trust Fund would be able to pay scheduled benefits through at least 2099, the last year of that report’s projection period.

• If the OASI Trust Fund and the DI Trust Fund projections were combined, the resulting projected fund (designated OASDI) would be able to pay 100 percent of total scheduled benefits until the third quarter of 2034, unchanged from last year’s report. At that time, the projected fund’s reserves would become depleted and continuing combined fund income would be sufficient to pay 83 percent of scheduled benefits. (The two funds could not actually be combined unless there were a change in the law, but the combined projection of the two funds is frequently used to indicate the overall status of the Social Security program.) …

Commissioner Plans To Tout Accomplishments

      From the Associated Press:

After complaints about staffing cuts and long waits to get help at the Social Security Administration, its commissioner says he’s ready to make the case to Congress this week that things are getting a lot better at the embattled agency.

Frank Bisignano is expected to face pointed questions from lawmakers at a hearing on his agency’s customer service performance, its ability to pay Americans their benefits, protect their privacy, and other questions about the inner workings of the SSA.

He plans to tout shorter wait times and other customer service metrics to a House Ways and Means Committee hearing slated for Wednesday, and will slam his predecessor for requiring appointments for field office visits, according to his prepared testimony which was viewed by The Associated Press. 

In a letter sent to lawmakers ahead of the hearing, Bisignano states that the SSA has cut phone wait times by 75% under his leadership, fixed frustrating website issues, and served 50% more people. …

Staffing Cuts

     From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Trump Administration Cuts to Social Security Staffing, January 2025 to April 2026
	Overall SSA Staffing Losses		Loss of Select Customer Service Positions1
	#	%	#	%
ALABAMA	-313	-12%	-195	-12%
ALASKA	-3	-8%	-1	-4%
ARIZONA	-82	-13%	-58	-12%
ARKANSAS	-44	-11%	-31	-9%
CALIFORNIA	-637	-11%	-348	-8%
COLORADO	-106	-17%	-52	-13%
CONNECTICUT	-30	-10%	-21	-9%
DELAWARE	-5	-5%	-6	-9%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	-198	-21%	-23	-22%
FLORIDA	-344	-13%	-252	-12%
GEORGIA	-220	-14%	-97	-9%
HAWAII	-28	-21%	-20	-18%
IDAHO	-8	-6%	-3	-3%
ILLINOIS	-416	-17%	-206	-13%
INDIANA	-86	-13%	-60	-12%
IOWA	-32	-13%	-24	-12%
KANSAS	-31	-13%	-22	-12%
KENTUCKY	-97	-14%	-66	-12%
LOUISIANA	-62	-11%	-43	-10%
MAINE	-20	-12%	-16	-12%
MARYLAND2	-1,543	-16%	124	5%
MASSACHUSETTS	-120	-12%	-89	-12%
MICHIGAN	-136	-11%	-92	-11%
MINNESOTA	-50	-13%	-42	-13%
MISSISSIPPI	-57	-11%	-35	-9%
MISSOURI	-405	-17%	-224	-16%
MONTANA	-18	-17%	-15	-18%
NEBRASKA	-20	-13%	-13	-12%
NEVADA	-36	-14%	-17	-8%
NEW HAMPSHIRE	-12	-9%	-11	-12%
NEW JERSEY	-23	-3%	-24	-4%
NEW MEXICO	-160	-23%	-145	-23%
NEW YORK	-452	-13%	-223	-9%
NORTH CAROLINA	-186	-14%	-106	-12%
NORTH DAKOTA	-7	-9%	-2	-4%
OHIO	-165	-13%	-127	-13%
OKLAHOMA	-52	-11%	-31	-9%
OREGON	-54	-16%	-38	-15%
PENNSYLVANIA	-587	-16%	-357	-14%
RHODE ISLAND	-9	-6%	-5	-5%
SOUTH CAROLINA	-64	-11%	-46	-11%
SOUTH DAKOTA	-5	-7%	-4	-6%
TENNESSEE	-124	-14%	-74	-11%
TEXAS	-424	-13%	-279	-11%
UTAH	-22	-13%	-16	-12%
VERMONT	-7	-13%	-6	-12%
VIRGINIA	-100	-14%	-75	-14%
WASHINGTON	-168	-15%	-128	-15%
WEST VIRGINIA	-49	-16%	-23	-11%
WISCONSIN	-91	-17%	-80	-18%
WYOMING	-6	-18%	-6	-19%
TOTAL3	-8,028	-14%	-3,809	-10%
Source: OPM EHRI Status