In the context of Social Security, the hot topic as of late has been the retirement age. When claiming Social Security upon retirement, you will only be eligible to receive your full benefits if you have reached the Full Retirement Age (FRA) despite the Social Security Administration (SSA) allowing for benefits to claimed from age 62. When the program was introduced in 1935, the FRA was 65, however, in order to maintain the program’s financial health and account for growing life expectancy, the FRA was amended in 1983 to increase gradually until it reached 67 — which will occur in 2026.
Now, due to the projected and accelerating shortfall of the Social Security program as outlined in the annual report, concerns have been raised regarding whether or not the retirement age will be increased again. In a recent interview with Fox Business, SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said that “everything’s being considered” when asked if the retirement age will be increased again.
Later that day, the SSA Commissioner shared a post on X clarifying that raising the retirement age is not under consideration. Consequently on Tuesday, a group of Senate Democrats wrote a letter to the White House voicing their concerns regarding the potential plans of the Trump Administration to raise the retirement age. Here is what you need to know.
Senators press White House to clarify stance on Social Security benefits
On September 30th, a group of Democratic Senators including, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), wrote a letter addressed to the White House pressing for clarification regarding the Trump Administration’s stance regarding the matter of Social Security benefits, and the retirement age.
In the Fox interview, the SSA Commissioner said, “I think everything’s being considered and will be considered,” when asked about the retirement age. Bisignano corrected his response later that same day by sharing a post on X stating that raising the retirement age is not under consideration.
“Following Commissioner Bisignano’s comments, Americans deserve clarity over what will happen to their hard-earned retirement benefits,” the senators wrote on Tuesday. Subsequently on Tuesday, the White House stated that, “any changes to the requirements are not being considered by the Trump Administration.”
Furthermore, White House spokesperson Liz Huston noted that, “President Trump will always protect and strengthen Social Security, which is why he signed historic legislation removing taxes on Social Security benefits for nearly all beneficiaries,” as per The Hill.
Previously during the 2024 campaign trail, Trump had suggested potential cuts to Social Security, however, the group of Senators urged the Trump Administration to forgo any cuts as the impact of it will be largely felt by middle and low income retirees.
“Social Security is low- and middle-income older Americans’ lifeline during retirement,”the letter read. “If you raise the retirement age, you will be cutting these critical benefits.”
What have the Senators asked in the letter?
In the letter, the senators also wrote the following: “If you raise the retirement age, you will be cutting these critical benefits—without a guaranteed solution to Social Security’s insolvency. And you will be ignoring other options, including raising the payroll tax income cap so that the wealthy pay their fair share to Social Security, that would protect benefits. Americans deserve to retire with dignity—not spend their retirement struggling to make ends meet.”
As such, the senators posed five questions to the White House aimed at providing clarity to Americans who pay their hard-earned money into Social Security with regards to any plans related to the retirement age. The senators requested a response from the White House by no later than October 13th, 2025, with the following questions posed:
1. Were Commissioner Bisignano’s comments on Fox Business consistent with the White House’s stance on raising the retirement age?
2. Will you commit to vetoing any legislation passed by Congress that increases the age of eligibility for Social Security?
3. Has your administration conducted any analysis on the impact raising the retirement age would have on Americans’ benefits?
a. If so, how many people would see their Social Security benefits cut as a result of this increase, and which groups would be the most impacted by this decision?
4. Have you considered other ways to address Social Security’s insolvency that do not result in large-scale benefit cuts for millions of Americans?
5. Have you or anyone in the White House discussed raising the retirement age with Commissioner Bisignano or other leaders at SSA?
a. Did you or anyone in the White House discuss your administration’s stance on raising the retirement age with the Commissioner after the issue was raised during his Fox Business interview?
b. Did you or anyone in the White House urge SSA to retract the Commissioner’s comments on raising the retirement age?