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AARP is a staunch defender of Social Security, the bedrock of retirement security for tens of millions of older Americans. AARP has pushed back on recent proposals to limit customer phone services and opposes any cuts to Social Security payments, including reductions in the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
AARP’s position on Social Security
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates for preserving and strengthening Social Security. We are fighting to protect the full payments that Americans have earned through a lifetime of work and to ensure the program’s long-term solvency.
Social Security is a pillar of retirement security and has lifted millions of older Americans out of poverty. For many retirees, it is the only guaranteed, inflation-adjusted source of income, and it is key to helping people age with independence and dignity.
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AARP opposes any proposals to cut payments, shrink the annual COLA or privatize Social Security. AARP also advocates for strengthening customer service to help ensure Americans can get the information and assistance they need to manage their benefits.
Why Social Security matters to older Americans
More than 71 million Americans rely on Social Security — payments they’ve earned over a lifetime of hard work. That includes retirees, people with disabilities, surviving spouses and dependent children. About 185 million workers are paying into Social Security via payroll and self-employment taxes, earning their future benefits.
About 40 percent of beneficiaries age 65 and older derive at least half of their income from Social Security, according to the Social Security Administration, and almost 15 percent rely on those payments for at least 90 percent of their income. Cuts to Social Security would force millions of older Americans into financial hardship.
How AARP has protected Social Security for more than 65 years
Social Security has been at the forefront of AARP’s advocacy work since our founding in 1958; we have engaged the White House, Congress and the Social Security Administration on everything from the 1972 passage of automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments to the 2025 fight to reverse proposed restrictions on customer phone service.
In 2005, AARP helped defeat a proposal to privatize Social Security by diverting payroll taxes to “private retirement accounts” that would have been subject to the tumult of the stock market. More recently, AARP has worked to protect disability benefits and endorsed bipartisan legislation to help Americans make more informed decisions about when to claim Social Security.
Right now, AARP is laser-focused on getting Congress to take cuts off the table when it comes to shoring up Social Security’s long-term financial health.
Recent AARP advocacy efforts
In March and July 2025, the Social Security Administration proposed new limits on customers’ ability to access Social Security services by phone. AARP mobilized to fight restrictions that could have forced millions of older adults and people with disabilities to travel to a Social Security office to accomplish basic tasks. AARP members sent more than 2 million emails to Congress. The Social Security Administration ultimately listened to the concerns of older Americans and reversed course.
AARP has long pushed back against proposals to reduce the COLA, including recent calls to freeze or cap the annual inflation adjustments. “Given how important Social Security is to seniors’ economic security, we urge Congress to focus on solutions that will guarantee full, unreduced payments for today’s seniors and for future generations,” AARP said in a statement to Congress.
How AARP wants Congress to strengthen Social Security
AARP is calling on Congress to protect and strengthen Social Security well before the program’s trust fund surplus is projected to run dry, in 2034. Without congressional action, Social Security’s trustees project that at that time, the system will be able to pay about 83 percent of the benefits U.S. workers have earned. AARP is pushing lawmakers to shore up the program without cutting Americans’ hard-earned payments.
AARP Responds to Projected Social Security Shortfall
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AARP’s position on Social Security?
AARP views Social Security as a vital, earned benefit that must be protected and strengthened for both current recipients and future generations. Americans have paid into Social Security throughout their working lives and deserve the full benefits they’ve earned. Congress has the tools to preserve the system’s financial health without cutting payments, and AARP is calling on it to do so.
What has AARP done on Social Security?
For more than 65 years, AARP has worked with Congress and presidential administrations of both parties to advocate for Social Security’s long-term financial health, as well as its near-term ability to serve its customers well. We mobilize older Americans and conduct research and public education to help protect this bedrock of U.S. retirement.
With Social Security’s trust funds projected to exhaust their surplus by 2034, AARP continues to press lawmakers to strengthen Social Security for the future — without cuts. For more on these and other efforts, read “5 Ways AARP Is Fighting for Social Security Right Now.”
Why does AARP prioritize Social Security?
Social Security is one of the most consequential programs for the people AARP represents: Americans 50 and older. More than 71 million Americans currently receive monthly Social Security payments, and tens of millions more are paying into the system. It is a primary source of income — often the primary source of income — for most retirees, making it vital to their financial security and their ability to age with dignity. In fact, Social Security is more important than ever; 65 percent of retirees rely substantially on Social Security, up from just over half in 2005.
How does Social Security affect people over 50?
Social Security has a significant impact on people as they approach and enter retirement. For those in their 50s, it is an important time to plan — including whether to delay claiming benefits (which increases monthly payments).
For those already receiving benefits, Social Security is a foundation of retirement security — it accounts for more than half of income for 2 in 5 beneficiaries ages 65 and over, and more than 90 percent of income for 1 in 7. Without it, an estimated 23.5 million Americans would fall into poverty.
What legislation is AARP supporting on Social Security?
AARP is urging Congress to pass legislation that protects and strengthens Social Security’s finances before the trust funds run short in 2034 — without reducing earned benefits or moving toward privatization. Congress has hundreds of tools in its toolbox to do that.
AARP has also endorsed bipartisan legislation aimed at helping older Americans make more informed decisions about when to claim their retirement payments. The bill, called the Claiming Age Clarity Act, would adjust the terms the SSA uses on its website and in other communications to help prospective beneficiaries better understand how claiming Social Security at various ages affects the amount they receive.
How can members get involved?
The most direct action is to sign our pledge saying you’re committed to voting for candidates in the 2026 elections who will protect and strengthen Social Security.
Members can also participate in public education events hosted by AARP’s state offices and stay informed about the key issues AARP is fighting for by signing up for our advocacy updates.
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