Republicans Are Coming for Social Security

Should anybody really be shocked?

By: Austin Abbring

June 12, 2026

What’s that? Is that the distant rumblings of a social insurance program that has not been slashed into little tiny bits? You mean to tell me we missed gutting a safety net that protects the American working class? This is what I believe Speaker Mike Johnson meant to say after he was caught on a radio show where he did not mince words on Republicans’ future plans for Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Here is his direct quote, so there is no misconception:

“And then we’re gonna lead up to what we have to do and address the largest spending items. The reason we’re in trouble is because over 74% of federal spending is on autopilot, mandatory spending. That’s your entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and then things like Social Security. They have to be adjusted and fixed. We have a plan to do that next year. And it’s critical because we’re at $40 trillion plus.”

This is not a new revelation when it comes to these programs. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid go against the very core economic policy beliefs ingrained in the Republican Party. Those principles are limited government, cutting taxes, and deregulation. However, those principles lead to the consolidation of wealth and power in corporations, the removal of safeguards that protect working-class people from unchecked capitalism, and cuts to government agencies, which are again wired to protect working-class people in this country and at-risk populations around the globe. These social insurance programs do exactly that: protect large swaths of the American population. So, to have the most beloved programs in this country be prime examples of socialist policies must keep Republican leadership and voters up at night. Clearly, it is eating at Mike Johnson.

I do not believe Speaker Johnson cares about the national deficit. Donald Trump accounts for a fifth of the total national debt during his time in office. Between both presidencies, Trump saw nearly $8 trillion added to the deficit, with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 adding around $2.5 trillion alone. Those tax cuts just got extended last July, so we will see trillions more added to the deficit over the next decade. This is not Speaker Johnson’s fault, but we also saw trillions added to the debt with the Bush tax cuts as well. It is very hard to make up a debt when you have a party continually cutting taxes, especially for the wealthiest individuals in this country.

We desperately need that revenue to expand these programs, not cut them. We are living at record wealth inequality in this country - worse than the Gilded Age period that Trump is so fond of. Makes sense, doesn’t it? 50,000 Americans die prematurely every year due to inadequate access to healthcare. Medicaid was decimated last year by Republicans. Two-thirds of our elderly are kept out of poverty by Social Security, which has never missed a payment in nearly 100 years of its existence. Republicans want to cut that agency. Medicare has satisfaction ratings above the 80th percentile and, again, protects the elderly and disabled. Republicans also made sweeping cuts and changes to the program last July. Are you sensing a pattern here?

Mike Johnson must not understand Social Security very well because, statutorily, and that is by law, Social Security cannot contribute to the deficit. By that, I mean it cannot borrow money and is not actively contributing to the national debt. It is self-funded by taxpayers and pays out only the benefits it receives. A trust fund was established in the 1980’s, when the baby boomer generation was retiring, to ensure full payouts of benefits. This was achieved by raising payroll taxes and the retirement age. Additionally, any Social Security tax surpluses have been added to this fund in the past. However, that trust fund is set to become insolvent around 2032. This does not mean that Social Security will cease to exist. Beneficiaries can still expect to receive 78% of their benefits. That is, if Congress does absolutely nothing during that time frame.

There is a way to solve this issue entirely: remove the cap on Social Security. As it stands, an individual can pay only $184,500 into the program in a given year. Any income beyond that is not subject to payroll tax for Social Security for the remainder of said calendar year. A W-2 worker contributes 6.2% of their wages, and their employer matches it, bringing the total to 12.4%. Self-employed workers pay the 12.4% themselves.

Allow me to demonstrate the concern with some sample wages with the percent paid into Social Security and see if you can spot the issue:

 $35,000 x 6.2% = $2,170

$50,000 x 6.2% = $3,100

$75,000 x 6.2% = $4,650

$175,000 x 6.2% = $10,850

$184,500 (the cap) x 6.2% = $11,408

$190,000 x 6.2% = $11,408

$400,000 x 6.2% = $11,408

$800,000 x 6.2% = $11,408

$1,000,000 x 6.2% = $11,408

So on and so forth. There is a massive amount of wealth being hoarded by a select few in society. This illustrates a clear, systemic issue. If the cap were eliminated on Social Security, your grandkids’ grandkids would be receiving payouts and a fully funded program. Yes, the ratio of workers to retirees is 2:1, but productivity has increased massively, allowing wealthy business owners to continue accelerating their wealth through that production. It is long overdue that we demand that these people pay their fair share, on their wages, but also on capital gains and offshore accounts, so that wealth cannot be hidden and remain untaxed to aid in funding programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, et cetera. It is about fairness. I am not even suggesting raising the percentage paid based on a progressive tax structure. It should be a flat 6.2% for everybody, no matter how much you earn. For me, for you, for Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, all of us. We desperately need the cap removed.

Taxing the wealthy would help soothe Mike Johnson’s ruffled feathers over his “entitlement program” funding and “deficit-contributing” concerns. If he is serious about Republicans tackling our deficit, perhaps start with the Pentagon’s $1 trillion-and-growing budget. The same Pentagon that has failed its last eight consecutive audits. None of that will ever happen. This is why it is imperative that we turn out for the November midterms and elect representatives who will block these egregious plans. I do not want to even begin to ponder what those plans are next year for Republicans if they maintain control. I know their main objective would be cuts, I just do not want to see how bad they are and what kind of propaganda they push to attempt to dismantle these vital programs.

*I will have more to come on these comments made by Johnson*