Fix Social Security Now!
Six years is not a long time in Congress-years.
by Doug Smith
September 30, 2026
How much longer do you expect to live? I know nothing is guaranteed, but what are you expecting? Do you think you’ll live for at least five or six more years? If not, you can pass on this. But if you think you’ll live for another six years or longer, then you need to pay attention. The Social Security trust fund will run out of reserves by the end of 2032.
If you are depending on Social Security for some or all of your retirement income, who you vote for this November will be extremely important.
Neither party is raising this issue to the level it deserves to be. But if Congress fails to act within the next six years, payments are expected to be 22% lower. And the people we elect THIS NOVEMBER will almost certainly be involved in making the decisions about the future of Social Security.
Six years is not a long time in Congress-years. There are THREE ways to fix Social Security, so you need to give some thought as to what you believe should be done.
Here are the three primary fixes:
1. Increase tax revenue
Right now, the payroll tax that funds Social Security applies only to the first $184,500 you make. If that cap was increased, high earners would pay more into the system, which would help close the gap in funding. Or the tax rate could be increased beyond the current 12.4%.
2. Adjust benefit payouts
The cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) every year could be reduced, which would reduce the growth of payouts. Also, benefits could be “means-tested”, meaning that money would only go to lower-income people who need it more.
3. Raise the retirement age
The full retirement age right now is 67 years old, for those born after 1960. Raising the retirement age would reduce total lifetime payouts, thus making the system more solvent.
Doing nothing is not an option, so which of these approaches do you think is best?
Of our Iowa candidates for the U.S. Senate, who’s solutions do you agree with? Republican Ashley Hinson believes the retirement age should be increased to 69, and opposes raising the cap on taxable earnings. She also voted for federal spending cuts, implemented by Elon Musk’s DOGE taskforce, which cut funding and staff for the Social Security Administration. Democrat Josh Turek plan is to remove the cap on taxable income, so people with higher incomes help increase revenue for the program. He also supports eliminating federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for middle-class seniors.
The U.S. House of Representatives will also have a voice in any possible solution. What do our 2nd District candidates believe? Republican Joe Mitchell has strongly criticized the idea of lifting the payroll cap on taxable earning, but has not offered any solutions beyond his general belief in cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. Democrat Lindsay James strongly opposes any benefit reductions and would vote for removing the cap on higher-income earners. She also highlights the need for cost-of-living increases to keep pace with inflation.
How do these ideas fit in with what YOU think? Who do you believe will best represent your ideas in the next Congress? It seems to me that this issue is so important that it should be a major factor in your decision on who to vote for, if you have any interest in solving this problem for yourself, and your children and grandchildren.
I know what I think. I think Social Security should be strengthened and improved, so Josh Turek for Senate and Lindsay James for 2nd District make the most sense to me. Unless voters start demanding action on this extremely important issue, Congress is just going to kick this can down the road again, and nothing will get done until it’s too late.
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