Democrats rode a blue wave of Senate victories on Tuesday, flipping seven seats in red states and taking control of the chamber, while Republicans will also see some new faces. Together, the 17 newcomers from both parties will join the next Congress to tackle one of Washington’s most ignored problems: how to keep Social Security paying full benefits.
The program’s trust fund is expected to run out at the end of 2032. After that, payroll tax revenue would only cover about 78% of planned benefits, leading to an automatic reduction of about 22% unless Congress acts.
Senators elected to full terms this week serve until January 2033, so the deadline falls on their watch. And because Social Security can’t be changed through budget reconciliation, a solution will likely require 60 votes and bipartisan support.
Almost all of the newcomers addressed Social Security during their campaigns. As Fortune As noted earlier, the problem isn’t quite the third rail anymore, but “protecting” the program can mean very different things.
Here’s what each new senator actually said they would do.
Juliana Stratton, D-Illinois — Stratton said she would eliminate the cap on wages subject to payroll taxes, according to The Times Weekly. Social Security payroll taxes now apply only to the first $184,500 of a worker’s annual salary. Eliminating this cap starting in 2027, without increasing benefits for additional taxed income, would close about 58% of Social Security’s projected 75-year funding gap, according to Social Security Administration actuaries.
Josh Turek, Democrat of Iowa — Turek said he would lift the $184,500 cap and opposes raising the age of eligibility for full benefits.
Adam Hamilton, Democrat of Kansas — Hamilton would increase the income limit rather than eliminate it, arguing that a person earning $1 million should not pay the same Social Security taxes as someone earning $184,500. He did not take a firm position on the retirement age.
Andy Barr, R-Kentucky — Barr opposed changes for people already retired and called for bipartisan reforms for younger generations. He did not cite specific tax or benefit changes, but said the reforms should encourage more private and employer-sponsored retirement savings.
Troy Jackson, Democrat from Maine — In September Bangor Daily News In his op-ed, Jackson called for removing the payroll tax cap and increasing welfare benefits, while ruling out privatization and raising the retirement age.
Abdul El-Sayed, Democrat from Michigan — In his final debate, El-Sayed said the payroll tax cap should be removed and social security benefits should not be taxed.
Eliminating benefit taxes without replacing revenue would cost Social Security about $1 trillion over 10 years, plus an additional $700 billion for Medicare, according to an analysis released in July by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Peggy Flanagan, Democrat of Minnesota — Flanagan supports Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Social Security expansion law, Bloomberg Government reported. The bill would apply payroll taxes to wages above $250,000, potentially eliminate the cap and increase benefits. His campaign website also supports removing taxes on welfare benefits.
Kurt Alme, R-Montana — Alme says savings from reducing waste, fraud and abuse elsewhere in government should be returned to Social Security. In an October debate, he highlighted his experience as Montana’s budget director but did not propose changes to the benefit cap or formula.
Chris Pappas, Democrat from New Hampshire — Pappas opposes raising the retirement age, cutting social benefits and privatization. His campaign highlighted his co-sponsorship of the Social Security Fairness Act, the 2025 law that increased benefits for public employees on outside pensions.
Roy Cooper, D-North Carolina — Cooper made the 2032 deadline a key part of his stump speech. He opposes cutting benefits and says wealthy Americans should contribute more to the program, but has not specified how.
Annie Andrews, D-South Carolina — Andrews supports eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits, but has not yet outlined a plan to close the funding gap.
James Talarico, Democrat of Texas — Talarico wants to eliminate the payroll tax cap for people making more than $400,000, Texas Public Radio reported.
Barry Moore, R-Alabama — Moore’s Senate campaign website supported cutting taxes on Social Security benefits. He was also an early cosponsor of the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act, introduced in February 2025. The bill would remove Social Security benefits from federal taxable income and transfer general funds to replace the revenue the trust funds would lose.
Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming — Asked about how to prevent cuts to Social Security during an August 2026 primary debate, Hageman said growing the economy, creating jobs and bringing more people into the workforce would help strengthen the program. Like Moore, Hageman was an early co-sponsor of the 2025 bill to end the federal income tax on benefits.
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