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Presidential Candidates Positions On Social Security

SSA

Wisconsin's spring primary is next week and a group working to preserve Social Security and Medicare have looked at the remaining presidential candidates for their views.

Max Richtman is the President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. He says Wisconsin will be a key state in determining the future of both political parties presidential hopes.

Among Republicans, Richtman says Senator Ted Cruz has favored cutting benefits as a means to reduce the budget deficit...

"....Senator Cruz has been clear throughout the debates that he would support cutting benefits. He thinks it's essential to our budget deficit to make those cuts...."

Richtman says Donald Trump's position has changed, saying during the recent debates he wouldn't cut Social Security but rather grow the economy. But Richtman says earlier Trump said he didn't like Social Security...

"....at the same time, not that long ago in one of his books he talked about Social Security by characterizing it as a Ponzi scheme...."

John Kasich has said that some cuts in Social Security are necessary, he feels, to help reduce budget problems. Kasich has proposed trimming benefits for some high-income seniors and lowering benefits for first time participants.

Richtman talked about the positions of Democrat Hillary Clinton and Independent Bernie Sanders.

Max Richtman says both Clinton and Sanders have come out strongly to preserve both programs. He says Secretary Clinton would like to see benefit increases in some categories...

".....in her public statements she says she would improve Social Security for those who need it the most, particularly focusing on women and the poor, which I assume means improving the minimum benefit and she has been very vocal on a caregiver credit...."

Richtman says Senator Sanders would like to see an increase in the amount of revenue coming into the program ...

".....Senator Sanders supports and increase in the amount of revenue coming into the program, or making adjustments in the cap subject to the payroll tax. He would improve the minimum benefit having more accurate cost-of-living adjustment...."

More information is available at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare website. http://www.ncpssm.org/

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