# 6 Social Security changes Americans are strongly opposed to

## Table of Contents

1. **Social Security Administration: Not Changing the Taxable Earnings Cap**
2. **Reducing Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs)**
3. **Increasing Benefits by $250 per Month for All New Beneficiaries**
4. **Not Offering a Bridge Benefit for Retirees With Declining Health**
5. **Conclusion**

## Social Security Administration: Not Changing the Taxable Earnings Cap

The taxable earnings cap refers to the amount of a person's annual income that is subject to Social Security payroll taxes. In 2025, it's $176,100.

The majority of Americans earn less than this, so they pay Social Security taxes on all their earnings. But that's not true for the wealthy. There's been a growing call for the government to raise or eliminate this cap to force the wealthiest Americans to pay more into the program. Though it wouldn't be enough to eliminate Social Security's funding crisis, it's one of the most popular proposals among Democrats and Republicans.

The NASI survey underscores that many Americans feel that leaving the taxable earnings cap where it is, with only small adjustments for inflation, is undesirable.

## Reducing Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs)

Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are annual adjustments the government makes in most years to help people's checks keep pace with inflation. However, COLAs increase the program's expenditures every year. Some have proposed reducing COLAs as a way to lower the program's costs.

Many seniors are opposed to this, as there's evidence that Social Security's buying power is already declining despite COLAs. The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) reports that checks have already lost 20% of their buying power since 2010.

There's a strong push among seniors for the government to increase COLAs by calculating them based on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) instead of the current index that doesn't look at retiree spending. Making this switch would result in higher COLAs in most years, though it would also increase Social Security's annual expenses.

## Increasing Benefits by $250 per Month for All New Beneficiaries

The NASI survey's goal was to figure out the average American's ideal package of Social Security changes that would resolve its funding issue while also providing improvements in key areas. One of the rejected proposals involved increasing monthly benefits by $250 per month for all new retirees.

This was less popular than other proposals like raising COLAs. It could be because raising benefits by a blanket $250 per month for new beneficiaries wouldn't help the millions of Americans already claiming checks. It also wouldn't address the underlying issue of COLAs not keeping up with inflation.

## Not Offering a Bridge Benefit for Retirees With Declining Health

One of the proposals that made it into NASI's package of preferred Social Security changes was the concept of a bridge benefit that reduced the early claiming penalty for seniors who had worked in physically demanding careers. These workers often have to choose between remaining in a job that's hard on their body or accepting smaller Social Security checks for the rest of their lives.

The survey found a reasonable amount of demand among ordinary Americans for this change. However, it didn't go into detail about what a bridge benefit might look like, or the criteria for earning it.

It's worth pointing out that the ultimate Social Security fix could involve some or none of these changes. It'll be up to Congress to decide what works best. It's possible some workers or seniors could see smaller benefits, but it's also possible that the government could increase funding another way so benefit cuts aren't necessary.

_The Motley Fool has a ._

_The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY._

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