Opinion

There is a way to fix Social Security. And the solution might surprise you

A three-part plan would also gradually increase the payroll tax rate from 6.2% to 7.2%

By Ted Jenkin Fox News

Published September 18, 2026 7:00am EDT

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Every few months, another headline tells Americans that Social Security is going broke.

It's scary. It's also not quite true.

Social Security isn't going to wake up one morning with zero dollars coming through the door. Even if its trust fund reserves are depleted, millions of workers will still be paying Social Security taxes every payday.

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The problem is that those taxes eventually won't generate enough money to pay 100% of scheduled benefits.

A couple looks over their Social Security information in light of the system's financial struggles. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

So, let's stop pretending Social Security can't be fixed. It can. You're just probably not going to like the fix. Here are three changes Washington should seriously consider.

1. Raise the Social Security wage cap to $400,000

In........

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