Candidates Pressed on Social Security

By Natalie Missakian

As Connecticut voters prepare to cast ballots on Nov. 8 for all five U.S. House seats and one in the Senate, AARP volunteers will be out in force at campaign events and forums to press candidates on their plans to fix Social Security.

“We’re not going to just say to these candidates, ‘Please, take action.’ We’re going to demand leadership from them and the next president on this issue, because that’s the only way anything is going to get done,” said John Erlingheuser, advocacy director for AARP Connecticut.

The issue is crucial because by 2034, unless Congress acts, Social Security will no longer take in enough money to pay full benefits. The reasons? A boom in retirees, longer life spans and fewer workers paying into the program.

As a result, benefits could be cut by $10,000 a year for the average recipient. More than 650,000 residents receive Social Security benefits in Connecticut, and approximately 1 in 5 rely on it for 90 percent or more of their income, said Nora Duncan, AARP Connecticut state director.

AARP does not endorse candidates and is not advocating any specific policy, but wants candidates to pledge to make Social Security a top priority.

Christianne Kovel, senior policy analyst on aging for the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, said the issue is  critical in a state like Connecticut, where residents 65 and older are expected to make up 20 percent of the population by 2025.

“With the decline of employer-sponsored retirement plans, more Connecticut residents may be reliant on Social Security as their primary income,” Kovel said.

Plans, but no action
Members of Congress have debated ways to strengthen the solvency of Social Security but have taken no action. Proposals include raising the retirement age, lifting the cap on taxable income and allowing younger workers to channel some Social Security tax money into private accounts.

Many Democrats, including presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, are also calling for expanded benefits for low-wage recipients and widows. Women often wind up with reduced benefits because they leave the workforce temporarily to care for children or aging relatives.

Candidates in the only statewide race—U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) and his challenger, state Rep. Dan Carter (R-Bethel)—did not respond to questions on Social Security and Medicare.

During his 2010 Senate run, Blumenthal said he opposed cuts in benefits or attempts to privatize Social Security. In 2015, he joined Rep. John Larson (D-East Hartford) in introducing legislation to raise the Social Security tax rate and lift the cap on earnings subject to Social Security tax.

As a state legislator, Carter cosponsored bills that would have eliminated state income tax on Social Security benefits.

Employees pay Social Security taxes on only their first $118,500 of  earnings. Blumenthal and Larson’s proposal would have taxed earnings over $400,000 and also raised the Social Security tax rate by 1.2 percent, phased in over 23 years.

The current rate is 6.2 percent for both employers and workers. The plan also would have given lower-income retirees a tax cut by raising the limit on how much someone could earn before benefits are taxed.

Efforts to bring Social Security to the front burner as an issue are part of AARP’s national Take a Stand campaign. To find out where the presidential and congressional candidates stand on Social Security, go to 2016takeastand.org.

Those interested in volunteering for election activities or other advocacy work should contact Elaine Werner at 860-548-3169.

Natalie Missakian is a writer living in Cheshire, CT.