Social Security & Medicare
What I Believe
Social Security and Medicare are sacred promises to American citizens.
The Problem: Solvency Challenges and Threats of Privatization
Congress debates cuts and privatization while the Social Security and Medicare trust funds face long-term solvency challenges, causing immense anxiety for current and future retirees. The current payroll tax cap exempts high-income earners from contributing on the majority of their income, which unfairly burdens working families and accelerates the trust funds’ depletion.
What I'll Do - The Secure Retirement and Solvency Act - SRSA
- Guarantee Against Cuts and Privatization: Pass a statutory, iron-clad guarantee that explicitly forbids Congress from reducing currently promised Social Security benefits, increasing the age of eligibility, or privatizing any part of Social Security or Medicare. These programs must remain a guaranteed social insurance system.
- Eliminate the Social Security Income Cap: Immediately eliminate the cap on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax (currently applied only up to a certain threshold). All income above the cap will be subject to the tax, ensuring the wealthiest citizens pay their fair share and dramatically extending the solvency of the Social Security trust fund.
- Strengthen Program Integrity and Reduce Fraud: Increase funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to hire staff dedicated solely to fraud detection, waste prevention, and aggressive auditing of large health provider claims. Every dollar saved from fraud is a dollar guaranteed for a beneficiary.
- Expand Medicare Preventive Care Access: Expand and fully fund Medicare coverage for preventative care, including annual physicals, behavioral health screenings, and chronic disease management. This long-term investment in proactive health reduces the overall cost burden on the system by preventing expensive, late-stage medical crises.
Why It Matters
Social Security and Medicare are promises made to every American who has worked and paid into the system. Eliminating the income cap on the payroll tax ensures the wealthiest Americans contribute their fair share, strengthening these vital programs and guaranteeing that every retiree can live with dignity, security, and peace of mind.