Trump must lay out vision to protect Social Security

Donald Trump is the only presidential candidate who has not laid out a plan to make Social Security financially sound for future generations – and 88 percent of New York’s undecided Republican voters 50 and older think he should.

That’s what AARP found in a survey of the state’s largest voting bloc conducted by an independent polling firm last week.

But it’s not just undecided 50 and older Republicans who think Trump should lay out his vision for this critical program. Nearly three-quarters of Republican voters 50 and older who plan to vote for Trump in Tuesday’s New York presidential primary think he should put his Social Security cards on the table, according to the poll of 399 registered GOP voters and 401 registered Democrats, which was conducted by Precision Opinion.

It comes down to leadership.

Among the 50-plus - who accounted for 57 percent of all votes in the 2012 presidential election – 90 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of Republicans agree that having a plan for Social Security is a basic threshold for presidential leadership.

AARP has no horse in this or any other political race. We are a non-partisan social mission organization that does not endorse candidates. But the 38-million-member association – with 2.6 million members across New York – is running our own campaign this presidential year. It’s called “Take a Stand,” and its mission is to urge that all candidates lay out detailed plans to ensure Social Security remains financially sound for future generations.

Every presidential candidate has issued a Social Security plan except Trump, thanks in part to the tireless work of AARP volunteers who’ve been questioning candidates at events in the battleground states as part of “Take a Stand.”

Like all the polls that have come out this month, our survey shows Trump with a big lead over his rivals (40 percent, compared with 12 percent for U.S. Sen, Ted Cruz of Texas and nine percent for Ohio Gov. John Kasich – with 36 percent undecided) for New York’s treasure trove of GOP delegates – who could help propel the native New York businessman to the magic number he needs to win the Republican nomination.

But New York’s 50+, who voted at a rate of nearly 65 percent four years ago compared with 52 percent among younger voting-age New Yorkers, are saying loud and clear that presidential candidates should put their Social Security cards on the table – 96 percent of Democrats and 92 percent of Republicans, according to our poll.

That’s why it is so important for Trump to go beyond saying he wants to “save Social Security” and tell voters how.

By 2034 – less than 20 years from now – Social Security benefits will have to be reduced by 25 percent if federal policymakers don’t strengthen the program. More than 10 million New Yorkers who’ve been paying in with every paycheck would be affected. Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials – and their children and grandchildren could lose up to $10,000 per year.

Social Security keeps a third of New York’s 65+ population out of poverty and makes up 50 percent or more of the income of nearly half the state’s 65+ population – and 90 percent or more of the income for more than two of every 10 New Yorkers 65 or older. Nearly 3.5 million New Yorkers currently receive Social Security – including almost nine of every 10 New Yorkers 65 and older.

We need to ensure this critical program remains strong.

Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton (who in our survey leads rival Bernie Sanders, 48 percent to 21 percent, with 26 percent undecided) enjoy wide leads among New York’s 50+, according to our poll. But neither has anywhere near the support of Social Security as a basic threshold of presidential leadership.

We hope the candidates, and the media, keep that top of mind ahead of the New York primaries and as the 2016 presidential campaign continues to unfold.

Beth Finkel is state director of AARP in New York state. She lives in New York City.