Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, said in 2010 that his own Social Security plan was “very similar” to the plan that would raise the retirement age and adjust tax withholding limits.
The Harris campaign fired back after Fox News Digital reviewed unearthed footage of a debate Waltz participated in during his 2010 reelection campaign for the House of Representatives. The debate took place on October 12, 2010, at the University of Minnesota, Mankato.
Walz, the incumbent Democratic candidate, faced off against independent candidate Steve Wilson and Republican Randy Demmer.
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Governor Tim Walz speaks before President Biden on Nov. 1, 2023, at Dutch Creek Farm in Northfield, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Abby Parr)
Mr Wilson first laid out his plan to gradually raise the retirement age, after Mr Walz later responded that his approach was “very similar.”
But Joseph Costello, a spokesman for Harris, told Fox News Digital that “Mr. Walz does not support raising the retirement age, and in fact, Mr. Walz has repeatedly voted to protect Social Security and opposed Republican efforts to raise the retirement age.”
During the 2010 debate, the three candidates were asked, “Regarding the federal budget deficit, what are you going to do about the Social Security and Medicare deficits?”
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Wilson, the independent candidate, was the first to respond.
“Social Security is something we can improve and we just all need to think about what sacrifices we’re going to make to share…There are three groups of people who are affected by Social Security: one, those who pay the premiums, two, those who are approaching retirement, and three, those who are receiving benefits,” Wilson said.
Wilson said people enrolled in the program are currently capping the amount of money that can be deducted from their paychecks.
“If we could set it a little higher, we would make more money,” he said.
Wilson then said the retirement age should be raised.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appeared onstage together during a campaign event at Girard College in Philadelphia on August 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
“When you think about the second group, people who are retiring, if you adjust the retirement age a little bit and give people enough warning, it helps them remember that you’re not the only one affected, that we’re all sharing in the sacrifices,” Wilson said.
Wilson then said individuals receiving Social Security benefits would need to have their cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) adjusted.
Wilson further explained his position on his website: “Retirement ages will begin to rise gradually within three years of the safety net being put in place and will continue to rise in line with life expectancy over the longer term.”
When it was Waltz’s turn, he supported Wilson’s plan.
“Social Security is incredibly important. It’s the largest anti-poverty program in the history of the world,” he said.
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“On Social Security, Steve Wilson has some very good ideas, he’s thought hard about it, he’s spoken honestly about it, and he has a plan that’s very similar to the approach that I’ll take in working with them,” Walz said.
Walz spoke at the debate against any “partial privatization” of Social Security, saying his own family was affected by the system because his father died when he was in high school.
Vice President Kamala Harris is greeted by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before speaking at a campaign event, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“Social Security survivor benefits were there to give us the financial means to live independently,” he said. “They were loaned to us by Social Security. It’s a smart system.”
A source with knowledge of Waltz’s thinking at the time told Fox News Digital, “Mr. Waltz does not currently support raising the retirement age, nor is that what he suggested in this misunderstood exchange 14 years ago.”
After winning the 2010 election, Walz opposed plans to raise the retirement age, according to sources. He voted against raising it to 68 in 2012, against raising it to 70 the following year, and against raising it to 70 again in 2014.
Asked for comment, Harris’ campaign stressed that Walz does not support raising the retirement age and voted against efforts to do so when he was a congressman.
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“For nearly two decades, as governor and congressman, Walz has been a strong defender of Social Security,” Costello said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Like the Biden-Harris Administration, he supports strengthening Social Security by requiring the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share.”
Costello added that music “helped his family survive after his father, a military veteran, died of lung cancer when he was a teenager.”
