Sanders Slams Debt Panel's Social Security Proposals

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) made it clear on Wednesday that he sees problems with a report put out by the leaders of President Barack Obama’s fiscal commission that recommends, among other things, tweaking America’s Social Security program to help bring down the nation’s nearly $14 trillion debt.

“The Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan is extremely disappointing and something that should be vigorously opposed by the American people,” Sanders said in a statement. “The huge increase in the national debt in recent years was caused by two unpaid wars, tax breaks for the wealthy, a Medicare prescription drug bill written by the pharmaceutical industry, and the Wall Street bailout. Unlike Social Security, none of these proposals were paid for.”

In their report, the panel’s co-chairmen — Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson — suggest raising the minimum age of those who qualify for Social Security benefits to 69 by the year 2075. Sanders responded lividly to that idea.

“It is reprehensible to ask working people, including many who do physically-demanding labor, to work until they are 69 years of age…As they compete for jobs with 25-year-olds, many older workers will go unemployed and have virtually no income.”

“Frankly, there will not be too much demand within the construction industry for 69-year-old bricklayers,” he added.

Sanders argued that the future solvency of Social Security should be paid for solely by raising the cap on the amount of income subject to payroll taxes, a proposal that actually is included in the report.