Washington GOP House Candidates Attack Each Other on Social Security

Two of the Republicans running for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District seat are attacking each other in TV ads about Social Security that could mislead voters.

An ad from Joe Kent falsely claimed that incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s “plan for Social Security” is a “25% cut in benefits and complete insolvency in 10 years.” Kent has argued that Herrera Beutler “offers no solutions” to fully finance the Social Security trust fund to pay retirees and survivors, which the government currently estimates will no longer be able to pay full benefits in 2034. But that’s not the same as having an actual “plan” to slash benefits by one-fourth, as ad watchers could be led to believe.

Meanwhile, two ads from Herrera Beutler’s campaign also could lead viewers astray. One ad said Kent “wants to raise the retirement age, cutting Social Security benefits for millions,” and a second ad said “Kent would privatize Social Security, gambling seniors’ benefits on the tanking stock market.” 

Kent’s campaign website used to say he would “change entitlement spending by raising the age that citizens receive social security,” but he has since clarified that he supports modifying the Social Security program for younger individuals, not older people “who are retired or near retirement.” He also said he agreed with a proposal to allow younger people to invest their own money in “individual retirement accounts” instead of the “government system,” while still paying some Social Security taxes to support current beneficiaries and those close to collecting benefits.