# 119-hr-1221: Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act

119-hr-1221, Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1221
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1221
- Congress: 119
- Title: Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Creates protected surplus accounts for Social Security and Medicare Part A.** The bill would require the Treasury to transfer each year’s trust-fund surplus into those accounts, bar the Managing Trustee from investing those balances in anything other than U.S. obligations until Congress authorizes other investment vehicles, and create a commission to study alternative investments. - Social Security and Medicare trust funds: Annual surpluses would be moved into new "Surplus Protection Accounts" inside each trust fund, and the balances would not be available for investment by the Managing Trustee. - Treasury / Managing Trustee: Transfers would begin for fiscal years after 2025 and would be made based on the Managing Trustee's annual estimates with later adjustments for prior over- or under-estimates. - Investment Commission: A nine-member executive-branch commission of investment experts would study non-U.S.-obligation investment options and must submit recommendations by October 1, 2025.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Protect Social Security surplus funds: benefit, high. This bill would create a protected account inside the Social Security trust fund to hold each year’s surplus, starting with fiscal year 2026. The Managing Trustee would move the surplus—Social Security payroll and self‑employment taxes plus certain income tax on benefits, minus retirement and survi…
- Protect Medicare Part A surplus funds: benefit, high. This bill would create a protected account inside Medicare Part A to hold each year’s surplus, starting with fiscal year 2026. The surplus would equal hospital insurance payroll and self‑employment taxes, minus Part A benefits and other allowed payments. The Managing Trustee would move that amount…
- Study new investments for trust funds: mixed, medium. This bill would set up a short‑term commission to study non‑Treasury investments for the Social Security and Medicare Part A trust funds. The commission would report to the President and Congress by October 1, 2025, and then end 90 days later. Members would meet monthly and must have investment and…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8210: A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026
- 119-hr-4312: SCORE Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6291: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act
- 119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-1221 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1221)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-8210: A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8210)
- [119-hr-4312: SCORE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4312)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-6291: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6291)
- [119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-471)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1221 (as of 2025-12-21).