Democratic and labor-aligned groups are seeking to sound the alarm for 2026 midterm voters about the possibility of future cuts to Social Security benefits.
The Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans held a “town hall” in Bethlehem on Saturday with Democratic congressional candidate Bob Brooks and other groups supporting his campaign focused on the looming funding cliff for that key government program.
According to a recent statement by the Social Security Administration, the fund reserved for paying out those benefits will become insolvent by 2032 — in other words, there will not be enough people paying into the fund to cover benefits for everyone who is eligible to receive them at that time.
That funding gulf could result in a 23% benefits reduction for eligible seniors if Congress does not step in to shore up funding, according to financial projections.
The Social Security Act, passed in 1935 under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the New Deal, establishes a system of financial benefits for Americans 65 and over, disabled people and children with deceased parents.
An estimated 75 million people receive benefits from the Social Security Administration, which are paid for via payroll tax deductions, including around 180,000 people in the Lehigh Valley area.
Participants in Saturday’s town hall said that the projected cut in benefits would be devastating to recipients, who paid into Social Security during their careers and have come to rely on the income during their retirement.
“When America makes a promise to working people, America should honor that promise. Social Security is one of those promises,” said Dennis Adams, treasurer of the Lehigh Valley Labor Council. “Social Security is not welfare, it’s not a handout, it’s not an entitlement, it’s not a gift from politicians in Washington. We earned it. Every paycheck, every week, every month, every year, working people pay into Social Security.”
Jody Weinreich, a board member for the Alliance for Retired Americans, said she relies on a small pension and Social Security benefits to cover her expenses.
“If Congress allows all of us to receive a 23% cut, it would be awful. I don’t know how I would live, and other people know how they’d live,” Weinreich said.
Organized labor urged attendees to vote in the 2026 midterms for Democrats, who have vowed to raise the maximum amount of Social Security payroll tax that can be collected from those with higher incomes, which they say would allow the fund to remain solvent.
Brooks, who is also president of the Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association, said he favors that solution to prevent future cuts to Social Security benefits.
“We have to figure out how to fix that, and fixing that comes to a simple fix: lifting the cap,” Brooks said Saturday. “I do not believe this is rocket science we’re talking about. These are benefits that are owed to people, not entitlements.”
Brooks also took credit for successfully lobbying Congress to eliminate the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, which reduced Social Security benefits for public sector workers who receive government pensions. Congress eliminated that provision in early 2025.
Brooks is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the midterm elections for Congress in the 7th District. The Lehigh Valley-based district is considered to be one of the most competitive congressional races in the country and could determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
Advocates at Saturday’s rally also criticized staffing cuts to the Social Security Administration. Under Trump, at least 10,000 workers have left or been fired, resulting in longer wait times and poorer customer service for people with Social Security claims, advocates said.
“They are closing offices and pushing seniors to online services, which is just, you know, asinine. It’s wrong,” said Phil Glover, vice president of American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Social Security and other federal employees in Pennsylvania and Delaware. “People in their 80s and 70s should not be pushed to online accounts. They should be able to call somebody, get help, and then if they need to go to an office, have an appointment, sit down, and understand what is going on with their case.”
The Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans, as well as dozens of local union chapters, have endorsed Brooks over Mackenzie in the midterms. The pro-labor union groups accuse the Republican incumbent of not doing enough to address potential future cuts to Social Security. Some Republicans have voiced support for making spending on Social Security and Medicare “discretionary” instead of “mandatory,” which could lead to those benefits being cut.
Mackenzie has vowed not to approve a budget that includes cuts to Social Security, and has touted a provision of the “Big Beautiful Bill” which eliminates federal income tax on Social Security payments for most recipients. He has not publicly called for raising the maximum amount of Social Security tax that can be collected from the highest earners in order to fund the program.
Dorothy Baran, a Breinigsville resident and former union representative for Workers United, told The Morning Call that she relies on her pension, Social Security and part-time grocery store work to make ends meet.
Her pension covers most of her expenses, Baran said, but a cut to Social Security benefits could still pose a hardship for her in the future, she said. She lives in a mobile home park that increases its rent every year, and her benefits do not increase enough to keep up with that rising expense, she said.
“The rent keeps going up by like $60 to $70 a year, but my Social Security goes up by $30 or $40. It’s not enough to keep pace,” Baran said. “I’m not totally dependent on Social Security, but I know a lot of people that are, and this really — a cut of 23% will really hurt people.”
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.
