WASHINGTON (AP) – THE ISSUE: More than 60 million retirees, disabled workers, spouses and children rely on monthly Social Security benefits. That’s nearly one in five Americans. The trustees who oversee Social Security say the program has enough money to pay full benefits until 2034. But at that point, Social Security will collect only enough taxes to pay 79 percent of benefits. Unless Congress acts, millions of people on fixed incomes would get an automatic 21 percent cut in benefits.
Most older Americans rely on Social Security for a majority of their income. Monthly benefits average $1,237.
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WHERE THEY STAND
The candidates have said little to acknowledge the issue, even though it’s a main driver of the government’s long-term budget problems.