Maggie Goodlander and Lily Tang Williams, candidates for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, described their positions on Social Security and family caregiving in responses to a questionnaire from AARP New Hampshire.
The questionnaire asked how the candidates would protect and strengthen Social Security for older Americans, their children and grandchildren. It also asked what steps they would support to help family caregivers save money and time while continuing to care for relatives.
Social Security proposals
Goodlander said she would not support reducing benefits, increasing the retirement age or privatizing Social Security. She said protecting the program would require what she described as a bipartisan approach, including removing the earnings cap so higher-income Americans would pay Social Security taxes on all of their earnings.
Goodlander also endorsed using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, known as CPI-E, to calculate cost-of-living adjustments. She said the measure would better account for the housing and health care expenses faced by older New Hampshire residents. She also called for full funding and staffing for the Social Security Administration, including offices where people can receive assistance and speak with agency employees by phone.
“A promise made must be a promise kept.” — Maggie Goodlander
Tang Williams said Social Security represents a commitment to older Americans and said she would work to protect benefits for current retirees and people approaching retirement. She said the program must also remain financially sustainable for future generations.
Her response called for what she described as fiscal responsibility, efforts to eliminate waste and fraud in the federal bureaucracy and protection of Social Security funds from being used for other purposes. She also said she would pursue bipartisan solutions to preserve retirement security for New Hampshire residents.
Support for family caregivers
Goodlander described caregiving as both a family responsibility and a demanding job that can impose substantial financial and time costs. Her response said family caregivers face pressure from the expenses associated with care as well as the time required to provide it. The questionnaire identified those costs as a separate issue from the long-term financing of Social Security.
- Goodlander said she would oppose cuts to Social Security benefits, an increase in the retirement age and privatization of the program.
- She also supported raising the earnings cap, using CPI-E for cost-of-living adjustments and fully funding and staffing the Social Security Administration.
- Tang Williams said she would protect benefits for current and near-retirees while seeking measures to maintain the program for future generations.
The candidates’ responses come as voters prepare to decide the 2nd Congressional District race on Nov. 3. The district’s contest is one of the federal races on New Hampshire’s general-election ballot.
