House GOP forcing 2016 debate on finances of Social Security

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

House Republicans want Congress to address the troubled finances of Social Security’s disability program, setting the stage for a contentious debate that could affect 11 million people in the middle of the next presidential campaign.

The House has adopted a procedural rule that could force lawmakers to tackle the issue by the end of 2016, when the program is projected to run out of reserves, triggering automatic benefit cuts.

An easy fix was available. Congress could have redirected payroll-tax revenue from Social Security’s much larger retirement program, as lawmakers have done before.

But Tuesday’s procedural rule blocks such a move, unless as part of a larger plan to improve Social Security’s finances, by either cutting benefits or raising taxes. The rule applies only to the House.

Tinkering with Social Security never has been easy, and factoring in election-year politics makes finding votes even harder for those alternatives.