As Social Security turns 90, Congress faces deadline to prevent benefit cuts

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Social Security Act of 1935 turned 90 on Thursday, but the landmark program will require an act of Congress if it’s to last until its 100th birthday and beyond without significant benefit cuts to nearly 75 million beneficiaries.

Estimates show Social Security’s insolvency could cause benefit reductions as soon as 2032. At that point, the program, which primarily aids retired workers, will be forced to slash payouts by up to 25%, or nearly $14,000 annually for middle-income individuals.

Still, Congress has no fix in sight despite dozens of proposals offered by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle each year. There’s no substantive effort to avert the funding cliff, and the political appetite for a bipartisan compromise remains elusive for the