Republican Representative Rick Allen of Georgia defended his position on raising the age when seniors can receive Social Security by saying people want to work longer.
Advocacy group Social Security Works posted a video of Mr Allen walking through the tunnels of the House of Representatives where he was asked about why he wants to raise the age of retirement.
“You know, that’s interesting that you ask that question,” he said. “People come up to me, they actually want to work longer.”
Currently, senior citizens collect Social Security and Medicare at the age of 65. But some have proposed the idea of raising the age to 67.
The person asking him the question asked if that proposal was on the table at the moment.
“Well, you know, if people want to work longer, maybe you need an incentive to do it,” Mr Allen said. “That’s the way to solve every one of these problems, by the way, and actually grow wealth at the same time.”
Mr Allen sits on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which deals with health care legislation. Mr Allen’s remarks come as Republicans took control of the majority in the House of Representatives earlier this month.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warning that the United States would reach the debt limit on Thursday. The letter sets up a fight between the White House and House Republicans, as Republicans want spending cuts to coincide with a debt limit increase while the Biden administration wants a clean debt limit increase.
Plenty of Republicans have also proposed changes to the entitlement programs in the United States, including Social Security, Medicare and its cousin program Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income people and people with disabilities.
