Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano retracted his earlier statement on Friday that suggested raising the retirement age was part of the reform plans being considered by the Trump administration.
During an interview on Fox Business, host Maria Bartiromo inquired if Bisignano would support an increase in the age required to receive full federal retirement benefits, currently set at 67.
“I think everything’s being considered and will be considered,” he said.
Bisignano pointed out that any modifications proposed by the Social Security trustees, which include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would require approval from Congress.
“The White House is fully dedicated to protecting and preserving Social Security, but Congress is where the real action will take place. This process will take some time, so we have no immediate rush,” he informed Bartiromo.
The Social Security Administration walked back his comments in an afternoon post on X.
Bisignano clarified, “Let me be precise: President Trump and I are steadfast in our commitment to protect Social Security and will never cut it. That’s why we’ve implemented crucial reforms, like reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, to safeguard the program’s future for upcoming generations of Americans.”
“Raising the retirement age is not under consideration,” it added.
The pressure on legislators to act has intensified due to projections indicating that Social Security funds might begin depleting by 2034.
“We have no intent to break a system that can be improved,” Bisignano said during a May interview with Bartiromo on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“That team will get together, along with Senate and Congress, will ensure that this is here for the next 90 years, at least,” he said, referring to the trustees.
A bipartisan group of senators have proposed setting aside $1.5 trillion for an investment fund to ensure the flow of future benefits, while others have suggested raising the age for retirement as a way to cut benefits.
Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley, appointed by then-President Biden, warned against such proposals prior to his exit.
“[Americans] want their government to strengthen [Social Security] and expand it — not to cut it, contract it or gut its customer service,” O’Malley said at a House Ways and Means Committee in March 2024.
“For those who would advocate raising the age, I think we have to be mindful of people who do hard work their whole lives, and die sooner,” he said.
While on the campaign trail, President Trump caught flack for suggesting potential cuts to Social Security during a March 2024 interview.
Trump told CNBC there was “a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.”
