Bridge the Divide! Vote Independent (No Party Preference)! Vote Stein!

It’s disgraceful that many of our nation’s youth don’t believe Social Security will be around when they get old. It’s not fair that 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are paying into Social Security, but Social Security is not going to have enough money to pay them full benefits in retirement. In fact, the Social Security Administration says it only has enough money to pay full benefits until about 2034, eight years from now. Shame on both parties for letting this happen.

My Social Security fix comes in three parts, and my fixes use solvency calculations from the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Budget. Not only that, my plan comes with a new basic minimum benefit, which will “significantly reduce the poverty rate among retirees,” according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget.

Before I tell you about my three-part fix, plus the added benefit, I want to be clear – I am an Independent, and as an Independent, I am willing to work with all, to compromise, to revise my three-part-fix-plus-one-new-benefit plan, as long as we solve our country’s Social Security problem. Our nation’s youth, our nation’s retirees, you and me, deserve no less.

My three-part fix: First, eliminate the cap on income subject to the Social Security tax. In 2026, only the first $184,500 of our income is subject to Social Security tax. By eliminating the cap (and not providing additional benefit credits for the additional income), we will add about 30 years to the solvency of Social Security. Second, increase the normal retirement age from 67 to 69 over time and then index the retirement age to life expectancy, but keep 62 as the first year we can receive (reduced) Social Security benefits. Third, cover all newly-hired state and local workers with Social Security. Some state and local workers are currently exempt from Social Security. Newly hired workers will now pay into the system, and then receive benefits when they retire. This three-part fix will add enough years to Social Security’s solvency to ensure Social Security can pay full benefits for more than the next 75 years.

But that’s not all. My plan adds a $10,800 basic minimum benefit for individuals, $16,100 for couples, to significantly reduce poverty among our retirees. With this new minimum benefit, Social Security will still be able to pay full benefits to all retiring Americans for more than the next 75 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget.

If you’re 20 today, you’ll be 95 in 75 years. If you’re 30 today, you’ll be 105 in 75 years. If you’re 40 today, you’ll be 115 years old. That’s how we’ll fix Social Security.

Bridge the Divide! Vote Independent (No Party Preference)! Vote Stein in the June 2, 2026 Primary!