New Jersey progressive Democrat Lisa McCormick is accusing U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr., of betraying constituents who depend on Social Security, following the Republican lawmaker’s introduction of a House resolution last week commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act.
The resolution, which reaffirms the program’s importance as a vital pillar of economic security for elderly Americans, was co-sponsored by several other Republican representatives.
McCormick, a progressive Democrat, contends the congressman’s legislative actions tell a different story than his words. She points to his vote for a recent budget reconciliation bill that, according to a statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, created a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security.”
Further, McCormick cited the Republican Study Committee’s published budget proposal for 2025, which represents a majority of House Republicans. That proposal includes measures that would raise the retirement age, a change the Social Security Administration’s chief actuary confirms would result in reduced benefits for millions of Americans. An analysis suggests such a change could affect benefits for approximately 75% of constituents in Kean’s district.
“It is the height of hypocrisy to promise a secure future for Social Security while plotting to gut its benefits and sell it off to private interests,” said McCormick.
She characterized the resolution as a “dishonest pledge” that “betrays every American who depends on it now and in the future.”
Kean’s press release stated, “This vital program ensures that seniors, families coping with loss, and individuals with disabilities have access to the support they need to live with dignity and security. As we honor its enduring legacy, we reaffirm our commitment to preserve and strengthen Social Security.”
The debate unfolds as the Social Security trust fund faces a projected shortfall. According to the program’s trustees, without legislative action, benefits will face across-the-board cuts of roughly 21% by the year 2032.
The Social Security and Medicare trust funds are only a little more than seven years from insolvency, based on projections from the programs’ trustees in combination with estimates of the impact of the contentious Republican budget law, which provides significant tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, while increasing taxes for working-class citizens.
The law dictates that when the trust funds deplete their reserves, payments are limited to incoming revenues. For the Social Security retirement program, we estimate that means a 24 percent benefit cut in late 2032, after the enactment of OBBBA.
McCormick has proposed addressing the solvency issue by requiring higher-income Americans to pay Social Security taxes on all their earnings, just like all other wage earners.
This disagreement highlights a fundamental political divide on the future of one of the nation’s oldest and most popular social programs, a program that currently provides benefits to over 1.6 million residents in New Jersey alone.
“Republicans are betraying the middle class and raising costs on American families, all to pay for giveaways to Trump’s billionaire donors,” said McCormick, who earned 159,998 votes when she challenged disgraced former US Senator Bob Menendez in the 2018 Democratic primary.
The Republican budget law added over $4 trillion to the deficit when interest costs are included and provided more than $5 trillion in tax giveaways, predominantly to the wealthy and well-connected.