Cavuto Grills Nikki Haley on Plan to Raise Social Security Retirement Age: ‘What Are You Saying?’
Fox News host Neil Cavuto grilled Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on her plan to raise the eligibility age to receive Social Security.
Haley is challenging former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly pledged not to tinker with the popular retirement program. On the campaign trail, Haley has struck a different note, saying action must be taken, lest Social Security becomes insolvent before long.
On Thursday’s Your World on Fox News, Cavuto pressed Haley for specifics:
CAVUTO: When you talked about changing the retirement age – presumably Social Security – what were you talking about?
HALEY: So, if we’re talking about entitlement reform, the first thing we do is, look, I have parents in their 80s. We take care of them. I don’t want anything to hurt the seniors or anyone that’s getting ready to retire. But I have kids in their 20s. Those are the ones that need to go and know that things are gonna be changed. So what you do is, for those in their 20s coming into the system, we would change the retirement age so that it matches life expectancy.
Haley added that benefits should be limited for wealthy individuals.
Cavuto doubled back to Haley’s claim about raising the retirement age:
CAVUTO: So, when you’re talking about adjusting the ages, depending on the kids in their 20s and obviously that they can come into the program later and they might have other options, what are you telling those in their 60s now or in their 50s now? At what point would a President Nikki Haley say, “All right, we’re bringing you in a little later?”
HALEY: You keep your promises to those that we’ve made promises to. Those that have invested in should keep what they have We shouldn’t in any way jeopardize those that are already expecting something. This is about the new group coming in–
CAVUTO: So, I’m sorry, governor. What is the new group? I’m sorry, what’s the new group? Are you telling those 50 and over, “You’re safe,” 50 and under “You’re on”– just to use that arbitrary number. What are you saying…?
HALEY: 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 gonna do this completely differently. That’s how you go and you focus on it. We’ve gotta start doing things like that. But more than that, we have to look at the fact that there is a spending problem in D.C., and Republicans and Democrats have done this to us, Neil.
Haley a former governor of South Carolina, served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. She has repeatedly refused to critique her former boss in explicit terms or say flatly which policies of his she disagrees with.
Watch above via Fox News.
