Rep. Paul Gosar pitches major spending cuts to keep Social Security solvent
Immigration was top of mind for Arizonans who on Friday attended a Social Security roundtable with U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar.
Gosar, R-Ariz., hosted the event to speak with constituents about Social Security and address their concerns about the longevity of the government program. Social Security is expected to run short on funds by 2035 if Congress does not act to remedy the situation, according to the Social Security Administration.
“The biggest risk to Social Security is unsustainable government spending,” said Gosar, who is up for reelection this year. “The government’s broke and just spending money like drunken sailors.”
More than 50 people attended the two-hour event at Ottawa University in Surprise. Gosar was joined by Nikki Coletti, a chapter leader of the Association of Mature American Citizens; John Burns, a public affairs specialist for the Arizona Social Security Administration; and Vice President of the Arizona Korean Association Andy Lim.
Gosar pitched cutting spending on foreign wars, “unauthorized programs” and big tech to make Social Security more sustainable. He pointed to Russia’s war on Ukraine as a particularly costly conflict for the United States.
“I’ve also co-sponsored legislation to eliminate Social Security benefits to illegal aliens. It makes no sense for the federal government to punish senior citizens who saved for retirement, while rewarding noncitizens for taking advantage of a broken system,” Gosar said, according to prepared remarks.
If Congress does not act before 2035, there would be “sufficient income” to pay 83% of Social Security benefits beginning in that year, according to the Social Security Administration.
When Gosar opened the event to questions, his constituents shared their worries that illegal immigration could put more stress on the program. One questioner asked how the tax system handles undocumented workers who do not have Social Security numbers, and Gosar said, “We don’t know.”
“We're in a lawless situation,” Gosar said.
According to the Social Security Administration, a noncitizen may be eligible for Social Security income if they are in a qualified alien category and meet certain guidelines that have been in place since 1996. Some experts disagree that immigrants are draining Social Security, noting that more workers in the country would increase the number of people paying into the system.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump gave competing views during a presidential debate in June on how to continue Social Security. Trump claimed migrants are “going to be taking over Social Security,” but offered few details. Biden said the answer was higher taxes on the wealthy to make sure they “begin to pay their fair share.”
Gosar’s constituents also expressed concern about election security and whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote in elections, along with frustration that the baby boomer generation is being blamed for the Social Security conundrum.
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Chuck Quinn, a 66-year-old retired electrician from El Mirage, said he is concerned the Social Security benefits won’t be there for him in the future after he spent decades paying into the system. Quinn struggled to qualify for disability support when he faced complications after having back surgery.
“We are still living paycheck to paycheck and that's because of the Democrats, because of inflation, because they're just giving all this free money out,” said Quinn, who wore a Trump baseball hat and a T shirt that read “THE REAL VERDICT IS COMING NOVEMBER 5TH."
“I am a patriotic conservative, and it brings tears to my eyes when I see what's happening to our country right now,” Quinn added.