Fact check: Misleading claim about Republicans voting to raise retirement age to 70
The claim: 156 Republicans voted to raise the retirement age to 70
A Feb. 26 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) shows a screenshot of a tweet with a list of 156 names.
"If you only retweet ONE thing today, let it be this list of 156 House Republicans who voted to raise the retirement age for Social Security to age 70," reads the tweet. "Don't let them get away with it. Make sure EVERYONE knows."
The Facebook post, from liberal group Occupy Democrats, accumulated over 1,000 likes in less than two weeks, and the original tweet received over 26,000 likes. A similar claim from Occupy Democrats generated over 12,000 likes before it was deleted.
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Our rating: Partly false
The 156 members referenced in the post are part of a conservative committee that released a proposal in 2022 to raise the retirement age to 70. But the proposal was never voted on, according to a committee spokesperson. The budget also includes the signatures of only 16 House Republicans.
No such vote took place
USA TODAY found no credible news reports of any such vote taken by Republican congressional members.
The post’s claim came after Social Security Works, an organization that fights to expand Social Security, tweeted on Feb. 13 that “156 House Republicans released a plan to raise the retirement age to 70.”
The tweet references a budget plan that the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus of House Republicans, released in June 2022 for the 2023 fiscal year. The plan, produced by the committee's budget and spending task force, would adjust the retirement age to "reflect longevity" and rising life expectancy.
People born in 1960 or later can start collecting their full Social Security benefits at age 67, according to the Social Security Administration. The Republican Study Committee calls for increasing the normal retirement age by three months per year until it is 70 beginning with those who turn 62 in 2040.
But the budget has not been voted on, Miranda Dabney, the study committee’s communications director, told USA TODAY in an email. Republicans have spoken in support of the budget but it never became a bill, according to congress.gov.
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The budget also includes the signatures of only 16 House Republicans.
"Those 16 signers made up most, but not all, of the task force," Dabney said.
The 156 figure stems from how many members were a part of the committee at the time the tweet was shared, according to Linda Benesch, a Social Security Works spokesperson. There are over 170 people in the Republican Study Committee to date, according to the website.
Benesch also confirmed the budget has not been voted on.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.
Factcheck.org also debunked this claim.
Our fact-check sources:
Linda Benesch, March 7, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Miranda Dabney, March 7-13, Email exchange with USA TODAY
USA TODAY, April 22, 2022, Fact check: Post exaggerates benefits for members of Congress
Republican Study Committee, accessed March 10, FY2023 Budget
Republican Study Committee, accessed March 10, Membership
Congressional Research Service, Aug. 8, 2019, Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress
Congress.gov, accessed March 10, H.R.6489 - Social Security Reform Act of 2016
Congress.gov, accessed March 10, Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 105
Social Security Administration, accessed March 10, Retirement age
VERIFY, March 9, No, 156 Republicans didn’t vote to raise the age for Social Security to 70
Factcheck.org, March 6, Liberal Group’s Meme Mentions Nonexistent GOP Vote to Raise Social Security’s Retirement Age
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Misleading claim on Republican retirement age proposal