Social Security

2004-2023 | 19 years

This episode is one of the few of the series that only focuses on one large plot, Toby trying to save Social Security by getting a bipartisan deal on the issue. The episode aired in February of 2004, 19 years ago, yet the problems that the characters run into are the same ones we continue to struggle with today.

Social Security was established in 1935 under FDR in the middle of the Great Depression. In 1940 there were 42 workers per retiree, but now that number has gone down to 3, and by 2050 there will be only 2. This is a problem, because as Toby states in the episode “Your Social Security taxes pay for today's retirees”, meaning that if there are not enough workers, then either workers will have to pay more into the system, or retirees will have to receive less. This is one of the things that causes Social Security to be the “third-rail” of American politics, as no politician wants to say that they are raising taxes on workers, or that they are cutting benefits for seniors. Social Security is one of the most popular programs in the country, with overwhelming support across party lines. Politicians are hesitant to admit the difficulties of the program, as shown in the episode when the president says “You can't save Social Security without cutting benefits or raising taxes, and this is the largest meeting in Washington where anyone's ever admitted it.” There is a large pattern of politicians leaving the problem for the next guy.

The fact that so little movement has been made on the issue has made it so that by 2037 trust fund reserves will become exhausted. Accordingly, only about 25% of Millennials and Gen Z believe that they will not receive Social Security when they retire. The system will decline if steps are not taken to make it sustainable. Taxes could be raised, but nobody wants money to be taken out of their pocket, especially when they fear that the system which took it won’t be there to help them when it's their turn to receive benefits. Or, costs for the program could be cut, mainly by raising the retirement age or the benefits being received. But this is unpopular because it makes it harder for the people who faithfully paid into the system all their lives and rely on the funds to live. In The West Wing they come to a compromise, with benefit cuts and an increase in taxes.

During his state of the Union, President Biden said he would block Social Security benefit reductions, but he also said that he wouldn’t increase taxes on families making less than $400,000 a year, something that critics say is unsustainable and will only continue to let problems snowball. Social Security, behind Medicare/Medicaid, is the largest budget item contributing to US debt according to the US Debt Clock. Combined with the ongoing fight over the US debt ceiling, this issue gets even more complicated to legislate on.

If the country wants to be able to see Social Security continue into the future so that teens today will be able to count on it for retirement, politicians must come together to work out a compromise. The West Wing is a fictional show, but if a deal was able to be reached by its fictional characters, surely it is possible for a deal like this to be made in the real world too.