Four leading Republican presidential candidates tell AARP in exclusive interviews that if they win the White House, they will protect and strengthen Social Security for the country’s retirees and future generations.
As part of its commitment to fight to ensure that Social Security is available to the more than 67 million people in the country who receive its monthly payments, AARP asked leading Republican Party presidential candidates how they would support this critical program. Below are videos with the responses of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley; businessman Vivek Ramaswamy; and former President Donald Trump.
One in 5 people in the United States receives Social Security benefits each month, and 22 million of them live in households that rely on those payments for at least half of their income. For another 10 million people in the United States, Social Security represents 90% of the money they need to survive.
“It is important for voters—particularly residents of primary states—to hear and see directly from candidates about their views on Social Security, not just for now, but in the future,” says John Hishta, senior vice president of campaigns at AARP.
Unless Congress acts, the program’s trust fund will begin to run out in 2034, according to Social Security administrators.
“We know the clock is ticking,” says Hishta. “We really want the candidates — not just at the presidential level, but candidates across the country running for Congress and the Senate — to start discussing what they see as the challenges facing the program and how they would fix it with the time”.
In addition to the individual candidate videos, AARP is launching a 30 minute program (in English) in four states where the primaries and caucuses will take place first: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. The video features grassroots activists and Republican Party voters describing why political leaders need to strongly support Social Security.
In the individual videos, each GOP candidate was asked: “Seniors have worked hard all their lives and paid into Social Security. They have earned it and are counting on it for their retirement. How will you protect Social Security for the nation’s seniors and their families?” Each was given up to two minutes to respond. The candidates’ recorded responses are included below in separate videos, arranged alphabetically by the candidates’ last names.
(Videos in English)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy
Former President Donald Trump
2024-01-06 05:11:15
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