Republican presidential contender and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) supports changes to Social Security for millennials and younger generations but said on Sunday that current seniors should be protected from changes to the program.
DeSantis stood by his support for raising the retirement age for Social Security for those who are in their 30s and 40s. DeSantis supported privatizing the program and raising the retirement age to 70 during his stint in the House of Representatives.
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"I've always said, 'Promise made, promise kept.' I'm a governor of Florida. Of course, we're going to protect people's Social Security," the governor said on Fox News. "My grandmother passed away when she was 91. That was her sole source of income. And that's true for millions of seniors. ... So when people say that we're gonna somehow cut seniors, that is totally not true."
DeSantis: When people say we're going to somehow cut seniors' social security, that is totally not true. Talking about making changes for people in their 30s and 40s, that's a much different thing, pic.twitter.com/XodfM1R3bD
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 16, 2023
He continued, "Talking about making changes for people in their 30s or 40s so that the program's viable, you know, that's a much different thing, and that's something that I think that there's going to need to be discussions on."
Experts have predicted the trust fund for Social Security will be depleted by 2034 if no changes to the program are made. The depletion would not stop recipients from receiving benefits but would reduce the amount of money they get.
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AARP predicted that if the trust fund is depleted, the program would only be able to pay approximately "80% of the benefits to which retired and disabled workers are entitled."
The age of retirement in the United States is 67. But those looking to retire in the near future could also take an early retirement at 62 or wait as late as 70 to receive more money.