$1.5 Trillion Plan for Social Security: Two US senators, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana and Tim Kaine from Virginia, are working on a big plan to help save Social Security before it runs out of money. They want to put $1.5 trillion into a brand new investment fund that could grow over time and help pay benefits for current and future retirees.
Experts say that by 2034, the money in the program’s trust funds could run out. If that happens, people would only get around 80% of the money they were promised. The part of the fund that covers retirement, the OASI, could run dry even earlier by 2033.
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Cassidy and Kaine’s idea doesn’t change taxes or reduce benefits. Instead, they want the government to put $300 billion every year for five years into a special investment account. This account would be completely separate from the normal Social Security fund. That money would be invested in things like stocks, bonds, and other financial assets. The plan is to let those investments grow over a long time up to 70 years and keep reinvesting any earnings. While all that money is growing, the U.S. Treasury would still keep paying Social Security benefits the normal way for the next 75 years.
“It is something to save Social Security, and to save the benefits flowing to the people, frankly, will either already depend on them or will depend upon them going forward,” Cassidysaid. He says that the returns from the investments will earn more than the interest the government pays to borrow the money. In his words, “Even though we’re borrowing that money, it does not increase our nation’s indebtedness and the investment income will exceed the interest.”
Kaine has called the concept a “really important ingredient” in stabilizing the program, though he acknowledged it will not resolve the shortfall on its own and other economists are sceptical.
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“Unfortunately, their proposal does not improve the program’s finances because it avoids imposing the tax increases or benefit reductions that are necessary to keep it solvent,” said Sita Nataraj Slavov of the American Enterprise Institute.
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Andrew Biggs, who used to be a top official at the Social Security Administration, says the plan is like gambling. “This isn’t a sovereign wealth fund. Norway invests surplus revenue from oil profits. We’re talking about borrowing money to play the markets,” He said and warned that this isn’t like Norway, which invests profits from oil revenue. The U.S. would be investing with debt, not extra money.
Supporters of the plan believe it could cover at least 70% of the money Social Security will need over the next seven decades.
