The men listed are the Social Security Trustees. The law requires whomever holds these positions in any administration to be a trustee. They signed the latest Trustee Report I quote below.
Scott Bessent – Secretary of the Treasury (Managing Trustee)
Keith Sonderling – Secretary of Labor
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services
Frank Bisignano – Commissioner of Social Security
Text from the 2026 SS Trustee Report
If legislative solutions focus only on achieving 75-year solvency without considering year-by-year financing, then a large financial imbalance couldremain for 2100 and beyond. Sustainable solvency is achieved when the projected trust fund ratios are positive throughout the 75-year projection period and are either stable or rising at the end of the period. Making changes now that achieve sustainable solvency could avoid the need for later legislative changes.
Conclusion
The Trustees recommend that lawmakers address the projected trust fund shortfalls in a timely way to phase in necessary changes gradually and give workers and beneficiaries time to adjust. Implementing changes sooner rather than later would allow more generations to share in the needed revenue increases or reductions in scheduled benefits.
In 2026, Social Security will play a critical role in the lives of 71 million beneficiaries and 185 million covered workers and their families. With informed discussion, creative thinking, and timely legislative action, Social Security will continue to protect future generations.
Note the recommendations made by the Trustees in their report.
Now consider…
President Trump has repeatedly pledged (including in 2025 remarks) to protect Social Security without benefit cuts, raising the retirement age, or similar changes, while focusing on waste, fraud, abuse, and efficiency. Cabinet and administration comments generally echo this publicly, even as operational changes (staffing reductions, process updates, digital shifts) and the above remarks have fueled debate and Democratic accusations of undermining the program.
Focusing in on waste, fraud, abuse, and efficiency is not going to fix Social Security and make it sustainable and the Trustees who signed the annual report (as have their predecessors over past administrations) know that‼️
Playing politics with Social Security is not new. Previous administrations should have addressed the SS issue, but this administration’s hypocrisy is reaching new heights.
The key point is “lawmakers address”. Congress must put together a feasible plan to go forward. Trump is or could be the ultimate signer of a plan that is put forward in the next 2 years. What that plan will be is now anybody’s guess since the Democrats figure to be in charge.
Another point is this idea of giving people time to adjust. How is an 80 year old living primarily on Social Security going to adjust? How is a worker at age 64 going to adjust?When did that become a significant factor. I don’t remember that being addressed in the change in the 1980s legislation.
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