Bean, Davis agree Social Security needs saving, but differ on how
While agreeing that a bipartisan solution is required to protect Social Security, the candidates vying for the 8th Congressional District seat have different visions of how to keep the entitlement program solvent.
Melissa Bean, a Barrington Democrat who served three terms in the U.S. House from 2005 to 2011, is running against Jennifer Davis, a Republican business owner from Huntley, in Tuesday’s election.
The winner will succeed Raja Krishnamoorthi, who made an unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat this year rather than seek reelection. The 8th District includes portions of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.
Bean said she acted to protect the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund during her time in Congress and has been endorsed by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
She’s deeply opposed to Republican efforts to privatize Social Security and actions taken by the Trump administration to gut the program’s administration, she added.
“Across the country, the administration’s workforce reductions have resulted in major staffing cuts at Social Security offices, causing delays and, in some cases, full office closures,” Bean said in written statement. “For retirees looking for assistance with their benefits, these backlogs are more than just an inconvenience ― they are causing confusion, impacting service and delaying payments for millions.”
Bean said introducing and passing a Secure Social Security Act will be among her top priorities, if elected. She said she would work with colleagues to identify the most effective options to increase revenue for the program while reducing inefficiencies and keeping the system solvent.
Among the measures she foresees is evaluating the current earnings threshold that’s exempt from taxes without placing an undue burden on young workers or hurting current beneficiaries.
“Social Security should never be a partisan issue, and we must take urgent action to secure it for current and future generations,” Bean said.
Davis said the existence of the Social Security crisis demonstrates that Bean is giving herself too much credit for her prior service.
“My opponent had the chance to help fix this problem when she was in Congress nearly two decades ago. She didn’t,” Davis said in a written statement. “Instead of making hard choices and putting solutions on the table, the can was kicked once again.”
As a business owner who employs hundreds of people in West Dundee and hundreds more in Hyderabad, India, Davis said she’s accustomed to finding solutions that don’t include raising taxes or increasing prices for clients.
Raising taxes on Social Security benefits or on working people are off the table for her, she said.
“There will be no tax increases. Period,” Davis said. “Instead, we need serious conversations about growing our economy and expanding the tax base — not by raising rates, but by getting government out of the way of innovation, entrepreneurs and small businesses.”
Davis suggested looking at new tools like using cryptocurrency as a way to help pay down the debt and strengthen Social Security’s solvency. The quick creation of a bipartisan team to identify the challenges and then present solutions within three months is what’s needed, she said.
“Career politicians have had decades to fix this and have chosen not to,” Davis added. “Outsiders who have actually run businesses, met payroll and solved real problems can get this done. That’s what I’ll do in Congress.”
epeterson@dailyherald.com