Social Security Chief Says Raising Retirement Age ‘Not Under Consideration’

Waste-fighting reforms and ending abuses are the path to keeping Social Security solvent, Frank Bisignano said.

Frank Bisignano, then-nominee to be commissioner of the Social Security Administration, testifies during his Senate confirmation hearing in Washington on March 25, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said the Trump administration is not considering raising the retirement age to shore up the program’s long-term finances, pushing back on speculation following his recent television remarks.

“Let me be clear: President Trump and I will always protect, and never cut, Social Security,” Bisignano said in a Sept. 19 statement. “That’s why we have made many vital reforms, such as cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from the program, to ensure the solvency of Social Security for future generations of Americans. Raising the retirement age is not under consideration.”

The clarification came a day after Bisignano told Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria” that “everything’s being considered, will be considered” when asked directly about the retirement age. He added that future generations might face “a different set of rules” than today’s beneficiaries.

His comments drew swift criticism from Democrats. Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Social Security Subcommittee, said the exchange showed the administration had been misleading the public.

“After months of denying it, the Trump Administration is finally admitting what we suspected all along,” Larson said. “They are planning on raising the retirement age. For every year you raise the age, that is a 7 percent cut in benefits.”

By reaffirming that the retirement age is off the table, Bisignano signaled that the Trump administration intends to shore up Social Security through reforms targeting inefficiency and abuse rather than direct cuts to benefits.

Looming Shortfall

Bisignano’s clarification comes against a backdrop of mounting concerns over Social Security’s finances.

According to an Aug. 5 letter from the program’s chief actuary, the combined trust funds for retirement, survivor, and disability benefits are projected to run dry in early 2034—about six months sooner than previously forecast.

If exhausted, payroll tax revenues would cover only about 80 percent of scheduled benefits, falling to 72 percent by 2099.

During his interview on Fox Business, Bisignano said policymakers have roughly eight years to act but that responsibility ultimately lies with Congress and the program’s trustees. He noted that one proposal for extending the longevity of Social Security involves lifting the cap on taxable earnings, now set at $176,100 in 2025. Wages above that amount are exempt from the 6.2 percent payroll tax.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Democrats such as Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have called for scrapping the cap and applying payroll taxes to income above $250,000 while boosting benefits for some groups. They say their plan would extend solvency through 2096.

Republicans have favored changes to eligibility and benefits. A Republican Study Committee plan last year proposed gradually raising the retirement age, adjusting benefit formulas, and limiting spousal benefits for high earners.

Meanwhile, analysts at the left-leaning Brookings Institution have said that any durable solution will likely combine tax increases with benefit reforms, echoing the bipartisan 1983 overhaul.

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

The Social Security solvency debate is also shaped by concerns about improper payments. In mid-September, the SSA’s inspector general reported that $33 million had been paid to deceased individuals in New York state between 2008 and 2023. A separate review last year found $91 million in such payments in New York City. The Treasury recently clawed back more than $31 million in overpayments.

The Trump administration has also rolled out efficiency measures, including a shift away from paper checks. Under a March executive order, nearly all federal benefits must be delivered electronically by Sept. 30. Fewer than 1 percent of beneficiaries still receive paper checks.

“Reducing paper checks has been a longstanding bipartisan goal,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in August. “Thanks to President Trump, this will help reduce fraud and theft.”