The Social Security Administration's trust funds are expected to run out of money between 2032 and 2035. Consequently, the government must take legislative action to prevent automatic cuts to benefit payments.

社會安全局的信託基金預計將在 2032 年至 2035 年間耗盡。因此，政府必須採取立法行動，以防止福利金被自動削減。

The current financial instability is caused by a combination of demographic and legal factors. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, there are fewer workers supporting each beneficiary than in the past; the ratio dropped from over five-to-one in 1960 to 2.9-to-one. Furthermore, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget emphasized that lower birth rates, reduced immigration, and the impact of specific tax laws are the main drivers of the deficit. Experts estimate that the long-term funding gap represents about 4.42% to 4.65% of taxable payrolls.

目前的財務不穩定是由人口與法律因素共同造成的。根據兩黨政策中心，現在支持每位受益人的工作者比過去少；該比例從 1960 年的超過 5 比 1 降至 2.9 比 1。此外，負責任聯邦預算委員會強調，出生率降低、移民減少以及特定稅法的影響是導致赤字的主要驅動力。專家估計，長期資金缺口約佔應納稅薪資總額的 4.42% 至 4.65%。

There are two main strategies to solve this problem: increasing revenue or modifying benefits. Some leaders, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, assert that the government should raise or remove the taxable earnings cap—which is currently $184,500—and tax investment income. On the other hand, some proposals focus on reducing spending. These include raising the full retirement age from 67 to 69, limiting benefits for high-income earners, or changing how cost-of-living adjustments are calculated. Additionally, the Trump administration argued that the issue could be managed by removing waste, fraud, and abuse within federal agencies.

解決此問題有兩大主要策略：增加收入或修改福利。部分領導人，如參議員 Bernie Sanders，主張政府應提高或取消應納稅收入上限（目前為 184,500 美元），並對投資所得課稅。另一方面，部分提案側重於減少支出，包括將法定退休年齡從 67 歲提高到 69 歲、限制高收入者的福利，或更改生活成本調整（COLA）的計算方式。此外，川普政府認為，透過消除聯邦機構內部的浪費、欺詐與濫用，即可管控此問題。

Analysis shows that different solutions have different levels of effectiveness. The Social Security Administration estimates that removing the tax cap could cover between 22% and 67% of the shortfall, while taxing investment income could potentially close the gap entirely. In contrast, raising the retirement age to 69 would reduce annual benefits by an average of 13% and address between 16% and 64% of the deficit. If Congress fails to reach an agreement, experts project that benefit payments would automatically drop to between 60% and 86% of their scheduled amounts once the funds are gone.

分析顯示，不同的解決方案成效各異。社會安全局估計，取消稅務上限可填補 22% 至 67% 的缺口，而對投資所得課稅則有可能完全填補缺口。相反，將退休年齡提高至 69 歲將使年度福利平均減少 13%，並能解決 16% 至 64% 的赤字。如果國會未能達成協議，專家預計一旦資金耗盡，福利金將自動下降至原定金額的 60% 至 86% 之間。

Social Security faces a serious funding shortage by the early 2030s. The final result will depend on whether Congress decides to increase taxes, reduce benefits, or use a combination of both strategies.

社會安全制度在 2030 年代初期將面臨嚴重的資金短缺。最終結果將取決於國會決定增加稅收、減少福利，或是採取兩者的綜合策略。