Republican Senator Warns Social Security Could ‘Blow Up’

Senator Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, warned on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures that entitlement programs like Social Security could “blow up” if Democrats don’t support Republican policy reforms and tax cuts.

Newsweek has reached out to Tuberville’s press team, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ press teams for comment via email on Sunday.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump and his top adviser billionaire Elon Musk have pledged to root our fraud, waste, and abuse through the Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Although Trump has pledged not to cut Social Security, Musk has called the program “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” raising concerns of potential recommendations.

Social Security is a federal program that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to eligible workers and their families. In 2023, around 71.6 million people received benefits from programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the agency reported.

Many Democrats have said Republicans and Trump will cut various entitlements as part of efforts to shrink the federal government, reduce the national debt, and limit government spending.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, spoke out on the Senate floor Friday ahead of a vote on a Trump-backed budget bill, which ultimately passed early Saturday morning.

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, the progressive senator’s office described the GOP proposal as an “absurd budget that guts programs working class families rely on to pay for tax cuts for the rich.”

On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in various “Hands Off!” protests across the country, and a handful in Europe, urging Trump and Musk to take their “hands off” of Social Security, federal jobs, Medicaid, and more.

What To Know

Tuberville, a staunch Trump supporter, joined guest host Jackie DeAngelis on Sunday Morning Futures to discuss the recent Senate GOP budget, which passed 51-48 on Saturday, with Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine voting against the bill.

An identical resolution needs to pass the House of Representatives in order for the reconciliation process.

The resolution includes an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, increase the debt, and increase funding for the border and Pentagon, among others. Tuberville said the tax cuts should be addressed quickly “because this will help out with the tariffs,” as Trump imposed tariffs on 180 countries last week, sending the global and domestic stock markets in a tailspin.

Tuberville, speaking about Democrats, told DeAngelis: “Their only compliant that they have, which is totally wrong, saying we’re going to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, they couldn’t be any further from the truth, we’re not going to do that, we’re going to reform it.”

He later added: “This is the first time Democrats have been exactly right—Social Security, Medicare and Medicare is going to blow up and is going to go broke if we continue down the path of what the Democrats want,” reiterating that “we have to reform it.”

The SSA, which started in 1935, faces a funding crisis that could leave the program unable to pay full benefits by the mid-2030s.

Millions of Americans receive government supported health insurance programs. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 68.4 million Americans were enrolled in Medicare as of December 2024, and over 79 million in Medicaid as of November 2024.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump told Fox News in February: “Social Security won’t be touched, other than if there’s fraud or something…It’s going to be strengthened… Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is going to be touched.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said ahead of the vote: “This resolution is the first step toward a final bill to make permanent the tax relief we implemented in 2017 and deliver a transformational investment in our border, national, and energy security.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats said in a statement ahead of the vote: “Maybe worst of all, at a moment when Mr. Musk and his billionaire friends are laying off thousands of workers at the Social Security Administration, closing down Social Security offices all over the country, and making it harder for people with disabilities and older people to get the benefits that they have paid into for their whole lives, this bill does nothing to address that crisis.”

Senator Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, wrote on X on Friday: “Here’s the truth you won’t hear from Democrats tonight. This budget resolution stops a $4 trillion tax hike from hitting families and small businesses. Let’s pass this and get President Trump’s agenda done!”

Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, wrote in an X post on March 1: “Social Security is not a Ponzi scheme it’s a promise that every American pays into so they can retire with dignity. Get loud and tell Elon Musk to keep his hands OFF social security.”

What Happens Next?

The Senate approval of the fiscal framework lays the groundwork for a major tax and spending bill to implement Trump’s policies, though this could run into trouble due to the concern of some House Republicans over U.S. debt levels.

Both chambers have to agree to the same budget framework.