AARP opposes fast-track Social Security reform bill in Congress

Banners celebrating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence hang outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, June 22, 2026. Kylie Cooper | Reuters

• A new bipartisan bill, the PROMISE Act, aims to break the congressional stalemate on overhauling Social Security.
• If Congress doesn't act, the program's retirement benefits may be cut by 22% in 2032.
• The proposal's framework for moving changes to Social Security through Congress is facing opposition from AARP, which advocates on senior issues.

Social Security has just about six years before it may need to start reducing retirement benefits — unless Congress acts sooner.

Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of senators put forward a proposal that outlines a process to make a Social Security overhaul happen faster.

Now, AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates on senior issues, said it opposes the senators' bill, called the Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone, or PROMISE, Act.

"We strongly object to fast-tracking Social Security changes through Congress, as your bill would do," AARP Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond wrote in a July 21 letter addressed to Sens. Dick Durbin, the Democratic Whip from Illinois; and Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana. Durbin and Cassidy are among the lawmakers who introduced the PROMISE Act proposal.

AARP would prefer changes to happen through regular order, according to LeaMond's letter, a process in Congress that includes committee oversight and open debate.

"If regular order is the gold standard for routine legislative matters, it certainly should be the standard for something as important as Social Security," LeaMond wrote.

The proposal for the PROMISE Act comes as Congress faces a new deadline for overhauling Social Security before benefit cuts may set in for millions of Americans.

Social Security's annual trustees report, released in June, projects that the program's trust fund dedicated to paying benefits for retirees, their spouses and children, and survivors of deceased workers may run out in the fourth quarter of 2032 — three months earlier than previously projected. At that time, 78% of benefits would be payable.

If the retirement trust fund — known as Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, or OASI — is combined with the disability trust fund, that depletion date may move to the third quarter of 2034, according to the trustees report. At that time, 83% of scheduled benefits would be payable.

How the PROMISE Act Would Work

The PROMISE Act would create a "procedure to initiate Congressional action on Social Security," according to the senators' July 14 announcement of the plan.

It would task the Social Security Advisory Board, an independent, bipartisan advisory committee, with sending a base bill to Congress that would ensure the Social Security trust funds are funded for at least 50 years.

The bill also outlines the process through which lawmakers would pass the base bill through Congress:

• Introduction: The bill would be introduced by majority leaders of the Senate and the House, or any member of Congress if they do not do so.
• Committee Referral: It would then be referred to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, which would hold hearings and possibly amend the proposal.
• Reporting: The committees would report the base bill, or if they don't, it would be automatically discharged and placed on Senate and House calendars.
• Floor Action: Senate and House majority leaders would move to proceed with the base bill, or other congressional members could do so if they do not.
• Amendments: Members of Congress could propose substitute amendments.
• Vote: The Senate and House may vote on the base bill after 100 hours of consideration.

To pass, the base bill would need a three-fifths vote in the Senate and a majority vote in the House.

The AARP letter said the fast-track process could sacrifice openness, deliberation and accountability.

"Your legislation would require an unelected, four-member Advisory Board to put together a 50-year solvency plan in just over a month, with little time for deliberation and limited public input," LeaMond wrote in her letter.