‘Americans Deserve the Hard Truth’: Haley Urges Social-Security Overhaul as Part of Economic ‘Freedom Plan’

Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley unveiled her economic “Freedom Plan” on Friday, announcing her intention to push for a complete overhaul of entitlement programs as president.

Speaking before a packed crowd at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, N.H., Haley underscored the importance of tightening social-welfare programs in a bid to bring the country back from the brink of financial calamity.

“We need to slow the biggest drivers of our national debt. Democrats and Republicans don’t want to admit it, but Americans deserve the hard truth. Entitlement spending is unsustainable. We need reform,” the former South Carolina governor said on Friday.

“The longer we wait, the harder it gets and the more painful it will be. I will protect those receiving Social Security and Medicare. That’s a promise,” Haley assured the audience. “If we don’t get out of this 20th-century mindset, Social Security and Medicare won’t survive the first half of the 21st century.”

Haley elaborated that such a plan would include raising “the retirement age only for younger people who are just entering the system.” Moreover, the candidate suggested introducing a test to evaluate those in need of such social services, toyed with the idea of raising eligibility requirements to 40-years-old, and took a parting shot at fellow Republican presidential hopefuls who have largely avoided taking a strong stance on entitlement reform.

“Any candidate who refuses to address them should be disqualified. They’ll take your vote, and they’ll leave you broke.”

Haley, who served as Ambassador to the United Nations under former President Trump, has distinguished herself on the campaign trail by highlighting the instability of social services such as Medicare. In March, the former governor publicly contemplated raising the retirement age.

“The first thing you do is you change the retirement age of the young people coming up so that we can try and have some sort of system for them,” Haley said during a town hall debate in Council Bluffs, Iowa, at the time. “It’s the new ones coming in. It’s those in their 20s that are coming in. You’re coming to them and you’re saying, the game has changed. We’re going to do this completely differently.”

Social Security and Medicare expenses are expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan federal agency, estimates the two programs could cost American taxpayers nearly $30 trillion over the coming decade. Absent any political action, by the next presidential term, Medicare beneficiaries could experience a 10 percent reduction and Social Security beneficiaries a 23 percent cut.

Earlier this year, Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and condemned Republicans interested in raising “the minimum age of Social Security to 70,75, or even 80 in some cases.” Without naming any presidential hopefuls specifically, Trump added, that these politicians “are out to cut Medicare to a level that it will no longer be recognizable.”

Similarly, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has pledged not to cut social security as president. “We’re not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans,” DeSantis told Fox News in early March. “I think that that’s pretty clear.” Meanwhile, former vice-president Mike Pence has been one of the rare voices echoing Haley’s alarm, insisting that reforms to Social Security and Medicare must be “on the table” when it comes to the debt ceiling.

Earlier this year, Haley condemned President Joe Biden’s proposed 2024 budget, which seeks to tax earners making more than $400,000 to help fund entitlement shortfalls.

“Joe Biden now is basically saying the only way to deal with entitlements is to raise taxes. He doesn’t care that it runs out in five or ten years, he’s not going to be there anymore,” Haley added.