Wednesday night’s third Republican presidential debate saw candidates share their strategies for tackling the future of Social Security. Forecasts by entitlement trustees predict that on its current trajectory, the program will be unable to pay out benefits in full by 2033.
Candidates provided a range of potential reforms, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley proposing to raise the retirement age for younger workers and limit payments to the wealthy. Vivek Ramaswamy claimed his proposed broad federal spending cuts would redirect the resources needed to adequately fund Social Security. Meanwhile, both Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested that efforts to stimulate national economic growth would generate the revenue necessary to ensure financial solvency for the program. No candidate indicated plans to cut Social Security benefits for seniors.
Footage by NBC News. This video was produced and edited by Julia Griffin, Erica Hendry, Travis Daub and Rachel Liesendahl.
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