Democratic congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott made Social Security the focus of a roundtable with senior advocates and voters Tuesday, saying she would oppose any benefit cuts or increases to the retirement age. And to increase revenues, she said she wants to lift the cap on income subject to the program’s payroll tax.
“We need to scrap the cap,” Trone Garriott said, arguing that most workers pay into Social Security all year while “the wealthy are done paying within a matter of days or minutes into the new year.”
Earnings above $184,500 are not subject to Social Security tax in 2026. Trone Garriott said removing the cap “would do a lot to help make sure this program stays solvent.”
As of December 2025, 700,000 Iowans received monthly benefits from Old-Age (retirement), Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI)—popularly referred to as Social Security—including 162,000 from Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a federal cash assistance program for low-income people who are aged, blind, or have disabilities, provides monthly payments to nearly 50,000 Iowans.
Temporary tax cuts
During Tuesday’s town hall, Trone Garriott also took aim at the Republican tax law passed last year. The One Big, Beautiful Bill introduces a temporary federal income tax deduction for seniors. However, it stopped short of eliminating federal income taxes on Social Security benefits. That deduction for people 65 and older runs from 2025 to 2028.
Meanwhile the same legislation cut the top marginal income tax rate from 39.6% to 37 percent, which will cost an estimated $340 billion through 2034. That cut only kicks in for earners of income received over about $640,000 for individuals.
“I’ve been paying into Social Security since I was 16 years old working at McDonald’s,” she said. “I want to make sure that program is there for folks in my generation and for our kids to come.”
Costs, the Iran war, and town halls
Asked how to address the pressures facing families beyond Social Security, including a family with an adult child who has relied on disability benefits since 18, Trone Garriott pointed to the cost of groceries, gas, and housing. She called for ending tariffs and the war in Iran, and for expanding Medicare to cover vision and dental.
She said the US is spending $38 billion on the Iran war, money she said could go toward childcare, healthcare, and housing.
Asked how she would win over other lawmakers on a politically fraught issue, Trone Garriott said she would require open town halls of every member of Congress. She has criticized her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, for not holding public town halls.
“I believe that every lawmaker understands how important it is to the people in their district,” she said.
Democrat Trone Garriott is running for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District against incumbent Republican US Rep. Zach Nunn.
