As Maine’s U.S. Senate candidates begin a series of debates this week, Concord Action is urging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and former state Sen. Troy Jackson to address the national debt, affordability and the future of Social Security.
“Maine voters are choosing a senator whose six-year term will run straight through Social Security’s projected 2032 trust fund depletion,” said Carolyn Bourdeaux, executive director of Concord Action. “The fiscal challenges facing our nation are much too urgent to ignore. With Social Security in such a precarious position, Sen. Collins and former state Sen. Jackson should tell voters how they are prepared to confront fiscal issues like this. Hopefully the moderators will put these issues front and center on the debate stages.”
Concord Action is asking Senate candidates nationwide to take its Fiscal Leadership Challenge, answering questions about where they stand on Social Security’s looming insolvency, establishing a bipartisan fiscal commission and “No Budget, No Pay” legislation. Since early last year, Concord Action advocates have sent more than 500,000 letters to Congress urging action on the nation’s fiscal challenges.
The timing is especially important, with Social Security’s Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund projected to deplete its reserves in 2032. Without congressional action, Social Security recipients would see a projected 22% cut to benefits. Moreover, 23% of Maine’s population, more than 320,000 Mainers, would be affected by the cut – more than any other state in the nation, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Polling shows voters want those answers. A recent Peter G. Peterson Foundation survey found 84 percent of registered voters say a candidate’s plan to address the national debt is a factor in their support, while 94 percent want Senate candidates to explain how they would prevent automatic Social Security benefit cuts when the trust fund is depleted.
For all media inquiries, please contact [email protected]
###
Continue Reading
