On Sept. 21, the Republican-led House Budget Committee held a field hearing in Dallas focused on creating a bipartisan “fiscal commission” to address the federal debt. The hearing was held at Old Parkland, a private complex owned by billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow.
Members of the public, including senior citizens and Social Security advocates, were largely kept outside, while Crow was one of the few allowed to attend the hearing. The proposed fiscal commission could provide Congress with a fast-track mechanism for cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits, while allowing lawmakers to avoid direct, personal responsibility for any unpopular future changes to the Social Security system.
The Social Security Administration projects that the Trust Fund will be depleted in late 2032, at which point incoming payroll taxes will only cover 78 percent of scheduled benefit. More than 100 labor, retiree and advocacy organizations oppose the establishment of a fiscal commission. Instead, these groups advocate lifting the Social Security payroll tax cap for high earners which would close much of the long-term funding gap. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Alex Lawson, executive director of the group Social Security Works, who was thrown out at the Dallas hearing. Here he discusses the Republican party plan to reduce Social Security program benefits and the alternative solution that would “scrap the cap.”
For more information, visit Social Security Works at socialsecurityworks.
Listen to Scott Harris’ in-depth interview with Alex Lawson (25:52) and see more articles and opinion pieces in the related links section of this page. To subscribe to our podcasts, email newsletters, our Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine Substack or social media, subscribe here.
