Nikki Haley Calls for Entitlement Reform Targeting Younger Generations
By Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is calling for changes to retirement age for Americans in their 20s and for limiting Social Security and Medicare benefits for wealthier Americans.[0] The issue of entitlement reform has already been the subject of attacks from former President Donald Trump.[1]
Haley, who was the US Ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, noted that reforms to entitlement programs should be done without taking away anything from seniors or those close to retirement. She suggested focusing on the younger generation and what the future holds.[2]
On Sunday, Representative Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) stated her opinion that the possibility of increasing the retirement age for those who receive Social Security benefits should be considered.[3]
“We do not want to take away those that are in retirement or those that are heading into retirement. If we are talking about younger generations, my kids, if they know what retirement will look like 40, 50 years now from, that should be on the table and can be,” she said.[4]
Congress already slowly raised the retirement age to collect full benefits for social security to 67, and for Medicare, it is 65.[0]
At the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, Trump did not mention any other Republicans. He did, however, claim that some members of his party are looking to raise the minimum age of Social Security up to 70, 75, or even 80 in some cases, as well as reduce Medicare to a level that it would be unrecognizable.[1]
Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida and a potential contender for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination, has recently moved away from his prior backing of Social Security privatization and increasing the retirement age.[1] In an interview with CNBC last month, former Vice President Mike Pence declared that Social Security and Medicare should be discussed when addressing the US national debt, and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has previously voiced her opinion that entitlements must be considered for future beneficiaries.[1]
Former Governor of South Carolina has come out against a proposed part of President Biden's 2024 budget, which seeks to bolster a vital Medicare trust fund by raising taxes on those making over $400,000 annually and allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for additional medications.[5]It is anticipated that the proposal will face opposition in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republican Party.[5]
Mace stated that he was 45 years old.
0. “Rep. Nancy Mace says raising the retirement age should be ‘on the table'” ABC NEWS 4, 13 Mar. 2023, https://abcnews4.com/news/local/rep-nancy-mace-says-nikki-haleys-idea-to-raise-retirement-age-wciv-charleston-county-south-carolina-sc-abc-news-4-cnn-nikki-haley-presidential-candidate-united-states
1. “Nikki Haley calls for changing retirement age | News” WPSD Local 6, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/nikki-haley-calls-for-changing-retirement-age/article_3798cc3a-be76-11ed-b8af-7f05aff21458.html
2. “Nikki Haley Calls for Upping Retirement Age” Newsmax, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/nikki-haley-social-security-medicare/2023/03/09/id/1111688/
3. “Mace says raising retirement age should be ‘on the table’” The Hill, 12 Mar. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/3896336-mace-says-raising-retirement-age-should-be-on-the-table/
4. “Nancy Mace says US must take up entitlement reform, ‘got to get serious about it'” msnNOW, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nancy-mace-says-us-must-take-up-entitlement-reform-got-to-get-serious-about-it/ar-AA18wVu0
5. “Nikki Haley calls for changing retirement age for Americans who are now in their 20s” WISN Milwaukee, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.wisn.com/article/nikki-haley-change-retirement-age/43266208
