AP Photo/Phil Sears, File
- Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News he would consider cutting Social Security for younger Americans.
- But he confirmed any changes he would make to the program will not impact current seniors.
- Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sparred over changes to Social Security.
As the GOP field for a presidential run begins to fill up, candidates are looking towards one of the party's biggest spending qualms: Social Security. And Florida governor Ron DeSantis might be open to some paring back — as long as it won't impact current senior citizens.
During a July 16 interview on Fox News, DeSantis addressed a hot topic that both Democrats and Republicans have sparred over — whether to preserve Social Security as it is, or revamp the program including cuts to current or future recipients. He reiterated what many of his GOP colleagues have previously said, in that seniors who are now receiving benefits will be protected from any changes — he said it was "totally not true" the program would be cut for seniors — but he might not be able to say the same for younger Americans.
"Talking about making changes for people in their 30s or their 40s so that the program is viable, that's a much different thing, and that's something that I think there's going to need to be discussions on," DeSantis told Fox News, adding: "We got to make sure we preserve it for our seniors, because they depend on it."
DeSantis' campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on how the candidate would reshape Social Security.
Social Security — one of the biggest line items in the US's budget — has long faced scrutiny from the right, who consistently call to reduce spending. But the program's popularity, especially as an economic lifeline for America's seniors, has also made it a thorny political topic.
Earlier this year, potential changes to Social Security and Medicare entered the spotlight during the partisan fight on the best approach to raise the debt ceiling. In January, when the negotiations were just starting off, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said he would not agree to raise the ceiling without spending cuts. While he later confirmed those cuts would not touch Social Security or Medicare, even former President Donald Trump stepped in to urge the GOP to leave seniors out of the debate.
"Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," Trump said in a January video.
"Cut waste, fraud and abuse everywhere that we can find it and there is plenty, there's plenty of it," he continued. "But do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save Social Security, don't destroy it."
Currently, Social Security is at risk of not being able to pay out benefits in full starting in just 10 years, unless Congress steps in to help bolster the program's funding.
DeSantis' recent comments also come as Congress is gearing up to create a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee recently released legislation on their proposals to fund government agencies, and it included a $183 million cut to the Social Security Administration.
As the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing government workers, warned in a letter to the House Appropriations Committee last week that cuts to the administration could mean seniors and Americans with disabilities could wait a lot longer to receive benefits through the program.
"More cuts to SSA will result in a rapid increase of wait times, force SSA offices to close in many communities, and reduce service hours to the public," Julie Tippens, the director of AFGE's legislative department, wrote in the letter.