Ernst In April: “Heaven Forbid” We Change Social Security

Joni Ernst has made headlines recently for saying politicians should “sit down behind closed doors” in order to avoid scrutiny as they change Social Security policy, but it’s not the first time this year she’s made interesting comments on it.

Ernst can be heard talking about Social Security in a video taken during a stop in Dubuque on April 25, 2019.

“Yes, isn’t it amazing that so often we only start talking about Social Security or Medicare when it hits the headlines?” Ernst asks in the video. “And it is something that we should be working on all the time. But of course what happens with Congress is nobody wants to talk about it. It’s like this dirty secret that heaven forbid we make changes to Social Security. But folks, understanding we have to make changes to Social Security.”

In the past, Ernst has said she has at least considered privatizing Social Security as a possible option for reform.

In late August, Ernst told a crowd in Emmet County, “A lot of changes need to be made in this system going forward.”

“I think it’s smart that we do that now, rather than wait until the very last minute when we have folks that are actually in jeopardy,” she said.

by Paige Godden
Photo by Julie Fleming
Posted 9/6/19