WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Sunday, requesting clarification on the administration's position regarding the Social Security retirement age. White House spokesperson Liz Huston stated, "President Trump will always protect and strengthen Social Security."

A Social Security Administration trustees report projects the program's trust fund will be depleted in late 2032, with 78 percent of Social Security retirement benefits payable if no legislative action is taken. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated his intention to advance legislation addressing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid spending next year.

The current retirement age for beneficiaries born in 1960 or later is 67 to qualify for 100 percent of earned benefits. Legislation enacted by Congress in 1983 established a gradual increase from 65 to 67. Raising the age requires individuals to delay claiming benefits to receive their full monthly amount.

Senator Warren stated in her letter, "Republicans have a history of attempting to increase the retirement age, privatize Social Security, or otherwise cut Social Security benefits, and some Congressional Republicans have called to raise the retirement age or means-test benefits as the 'solution' to this problem." The Republican Study Committee previously proposed raising the retirement age in an earlier budget proposal, though its current budget proposal, issued in January, aims to achieve a budget balance without cutting Social Security or Medicare benefits or increasing the retirement age. Warren also stated that raising the retirement age by two years would effectively cut benefits. She explained, "In practice, raising the retirement age by two years would reduce the median retiree's monthly benefits by $345 to $741 — or by between 17 and 35 percent — effectively cutting tens of millions of Americans' Social Security benefits and disproportionately falling on seniors at the lower end of the income distribution who rely on Social Security as one of their main sources of income."

Joel Eskovitz, senior director of Social Security and savings at the AARP Public Policy Institute, addressed findings from the trustees report during a Thursday virtual briefing hosted by the National Academy of Social Insurance. Eskovitz stated that projected increases in life expectancy will not be distributed equally across different socioeconomic groups. "Raising the retirement age really doesn't do anything in this short-term conversation. It is a fix for a long-term problem." Eskovitz said. He also noted that raising the retirement age could increase the percentage of benefit reductions for individuals who file for benefits at age 62.

Jason Fichtner, senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance, recommended evaluating a retirement age increase alongside other Social Security solvency measures. Fichtner, who previously served as acting deputy commissioner and chief economist at the Social Security Administration, stated that increasing the retirement age would need to coincide with establishing a stronger minimum benefit for individuals unable to continue working past age 62 due to health conditions or occupational demands.