Strengthening Social Security Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38]
Introduced
Summary
Reworking payroll taxes and benefit formulas to reduce how much high earners pay into Social Security and to change how future benefits and cost‑of‑living adjustments are calculated. The bill would also alter survivor rules and protect SSI eligibility calculations.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New price index for Social Security COLAs
If enacted, the bill would require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-EC) for months ending on or after June 30 of the year the Act is enacted. The bill would also require Social Security cost-of-living adjustments to use CPI-EC for COLA quarters ending on or after September 30, 2027. This would change how benefit increases are calculated and could raise or lower COLAs depending on how CPI-EC compares with the old index. The law would authorize Congress to appropriate such sums as are necessary to make the new index.
Higher Social Security and survivor checks
If enacted, the bill would raise several parts of how Social Security retirement, disability, and survivor payments are calculated. The first PIA bend-point factor would be higher for computations on or after Jan 1, 2032 (95%), with special factors of 91% for 2032, 92% for 2033, 93% for 2034, and 94% for 2035. The Commissioner would recompute PIAs each year on Jan 1 during 2032–2047 as needed, and the first bend-point dollar amount would rise 1% in 2033, then by 1 percentage point each year through 2046, and by 15% in 2047 and later. The bill would also add an extra PIA amount equal to 5% of your surplus average indexed monthly earnings for people who first become eligible after 2032. For surviving spouses, monthly benefits for months after December 2027 would be the higher of the deceased's PIA or 75% of (the survivor's own benefit plus the deceased's PIA), subject to a cap tied to a hypothetical early-retirement PIA. Finally, for SSI calculations the Title II amount counted would be limited to the Title II amount in effect the day before enactment so SSI eligibility or payments would not be reduced by these Title II changes.
Less Social Security tax on extra earnings
If enacted, the bill would reduce how much of your pay above the Social Security contribution and benefit base counts for taxable wages and self-employment tax. The schedule is 80% for 2028, then drops by 20 percentage points each year for 2029–2031, and 0% for 2032 and later. For wages this applies only to pay made after you have already been paid up to that year's base. For self-employment it applies to net earnings above the difference between the base and wages for the year.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
ME • D
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]
MA • D
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]
TN • D
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 7/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov