Bronin’s corporate billionaire network has called for steps that would cut or privatize the program
ICYMI: Last week’s Social Security Trustees Report shows the program is in an unprecedented crisis. It is projected to be insolvent in just six years, as experts warn of GOP plans of “raising the retirement age, means testing, lowering COLAs, and other benefit cuts — if not outright privatization of the program.”
As Larson takes on Mike Johnson, who is threatening means-testing and privatization of Social Security, the billionaire dark money network funding Luke Bronin’s campaign and personal bank account has put forward a similar agenda that would threaten the program for working families.
Local and national reporting last week praised John Larson as one of the most fervent and effective defenders of Social Security against efforts by Republicans, Trump, and Musk’s DOGE to slash or privatize the program, and his push to end the $184,000 cap for the ultra-wealthy that keeps them from paying their fair share.
Read more:
The Bulwark: Mike Johnson Just Made a Grave Political Error
- “We know what’s going on here,” Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), a longtime member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees Social Security, told reporters Wednesday. “They’re out to privatize Social Security.”
- “You think we should be doing cartwheels because five million of our fellow Americans get below-poverty-level checks?” Larson said of the status quo.”
- “Over the years, Larson has introduced multiple bills intended to safeguard the program through data protection and strengthening it generally while avoiding the projected insolvency date.”
MarketWatch: Social Security insolvency is ‘entirely solvable,’ says commissioner under Biden
- “The Social Security 2100 Act, proposed by U.S. Rep. John Larson, a Connecticut Democrat, would expand the tax base by applying the Social Security payroll tax to earnings above $400,000 a year. It would keep the taxable maximum in place below that, creating a temporary “donut hole” between the existing cap and $400,000.”
CT Mirror: Drought advisory, Social Security and career paths
- “U.S. Rep. John Larson… warned about the costs of inaction in Congress. He’s pushed a bill for years that would raise benefits and bolster the fund by increasing payroll taxes on higher earners.”
- “Connecticut seniors will be hit the hardest if no action is taken,” Larson said.”
Los Angeles Times Opinion: The Social Security crisis should be dominating the Senate campaign
- “The way Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) described the importance of Social Security during a congressional hearing this week, you’d think the solvency of the 90-year-old program would be a front and center topic this election cycle.”
- “The public recently learned that beneficiaries could see a 22% cut starting in 2032 if Congress doesn’t act. And as Larson noted, we’re not just talking about retirees. Children whose parents died young, disabled workers and military families are also among the more than 70 million Americans receiving benefits.”
- “Last year, Larson said cuts the administration made to Social Security staff (roughly 7,000 positions) as well as the closures of regional offices were part of a plan to privatize the program.”