{"id":2621329,"date":"2026-06-30T07:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/moreno-bets-that-lifting-cap-on-social-security-taxes-will-play-in-ohio\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T07:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:58:33","slug":"moreno-bets-that-lifting-cap-on-social-security-taxes-will-play-in-ohio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/moreno-bets-that-lifting-cap-on-social-security-taxes-will-play-in-ohio\/","title":{"rendered":"Moreno bets that lifting cap on Social Security taxes will play in Ohio"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmoreno-bets-that-lifting-cap-on-social-security-taxes-will-play-in-ohio%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2621329&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), a populist member of the Senate elected in 2025, is advocating for a tax increase on higher earners to help secure Social Security funding. He supports lifting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/huge-majority-favors-changes-to-save-social-security-and-medicare-poll\/\" title=\"Poll shows overwhelming support for ... and Medicare reforms.\">payroll tax cap<\/a> alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren, which could add approximately $3 trillion to the program adn stabilize its finances. Even though this proposal faces political controversy-especially as many Republicans have pledged to oppose tax hikes-Moreno believes public opinion would favor this approach. Critics, including Grover Norquist, argue the plan is fiscally irresponsible and violates GOP principles against tax increases. Some Republican strategists in Ohio acknowledge a shifting party stance toward populism, making Moreno\u2019s proposal possibly advantageous locally, especially given the imminent depletion of Social Security trust funds projected for 2032-2034. Though, customary supply-side Republicans oppose the plan, citing concerns over increased taxes on high earners and the broader implications for party ideology. The plan remains a work in progress, with little legislative detail yet, and faces pushback within the party, notably from Ohio&#8217;s own Senator Jon Husted, who <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >opposes large tax hikes<\/a> as a strategy to strengthen Social security.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-moreno\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11273\">Bernie Moreno<\/a> (R-OH) is calling for a tax increase on higher earners to safeguard <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/social-security\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"796\">Social Security<\/a> \u2014 a political gamble given the unpopularity of tax increases in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"240\">Republican Party<\/a>, but one some strategists think could play in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1141\">Ohio<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreno, who first entered office in 2025, is one of the more populist members of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a>, and to the surprise of some, endorsed a plan alongside Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elizabeth-warren\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"250\">Elizabeth Warren<\/a> (D-MA) that calls for lifting the Social Security payroll tax cap. Citing one estimate, they said doing so would infuse the Social Security program with around $3 trillion, which they argue would help stabilize the entitlement program.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4629142\/uncirculated-coins-america-250-independence-day-us-mint\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Uncirculated set of coins to be released days before America\u2019s 250th birthday<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4628786\/desantis-signs-117-billion-budget-florida\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DeSantis signs $117.6 billion Florida budget<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4626891\/lawmakers-investigation-polymarket-fake-advertisements\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Lawmakers call for investigation into Polymarket over fake advertisements<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4616727\/warsh-tasks-forces-transform-fed\/\"><strong>KEVIN WARSH\u2019S TASK FORCES SET TO TRANSFORM THE FED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the move is politically fraught. For instance, Republicans, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/atr.org\/2025-pledge-signers\/\">including Moreno<\/a>, have signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to oppose any and all tax increases. Still, Moreno said he thinks most people would agree that higher earners should pay more in order to stabilize Social Security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreno told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> last week that the plan is a \u201cwork in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ATR founder and President Grover Norquist has pushed back hard on the notion of the Warren-Moreno plan. When Moreno was asked about Norquist, the pledge, and potential pushback from the GOP, the senator said he thinks public opinion would land on his side.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLook, I mean, obviously he has a point of view, I have a different point of view,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cI think most Americans would agree with me, meaning that everybody should pay the same. I\u2019m not asking for rich people to pay more, I\u2019m asking them to pay the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreno added that constituents \u201clove\u201d the push.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norquist, though, said the proposal \u2014 which still doesn\u2019t have legislative text and was first floated in a <em>New York Times<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/23\/opinion\/moreno-warren-social-security.html\">op-ed<\/a> \u2014 is a violation of Moreno\u2019s taxpayer pledge.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBy any stretch of the imagination this was criminally stupid, politically stupid, economically destructive, and morally flawed, because you shouldn\u2019t lie your way into office,\u201d Norquist told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> during a phone call.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, one Ohio Republican political strategist said the Republican Party has shifted in recent years, particularly in Moreno\u2019s state of Ohio. The party under President Donald Trump has moved more toward populism in recent years, and Vice President JD Vance, one of the more populist members of the administration, most recently served in the Senate from the Buckeye State.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strategist said  there will \u201calways be a little bit\u201d of pushback, but \u201cthat\u2019s not where the party is anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd that\u2019s not where the party, especially in the state of Ohio, is anymore,\u201d the strategist told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cSo, I think this is like a political winner and kind of a no-brainer too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But more broadly, others, particularly those in the more traditional supply-side wing of the party, are not fans of the proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stephen Moore has advised Trump and is a chairman and co-founder of the group Unleash Prosperity, which supports free markets and repealing regulations. He said such a move would amount to the largest marginal tax increase in decades.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore said he couldn\u2019t speak to how this would play politically in Ohio, but emphasized the broader party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFrom a political point of view, it\u2019s bad because it takes away \u2014 the one holy grail of the Republican Party is we don\u2019t raise taxes,\u201d Moore told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you\u2019re fighting an enemy, it\u2019s like giving up the high ground \u2026 so the politics are bad for the Republican Party,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But others note just how dire the Social Security funding crisis is.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Social Security retirement trust fund will be exhausted in 2032, earlier than previously anticipated, the program\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4600748\/social-security-retirement-trust-fund-exhausted-2032-trustees\/\">trustees projected earlier this month<\/a>, meaning senior citizens would face a cut in their benefits at that time unless Congress acts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workers can claim Social Security retirement beginning at age 62. Benefits increase the longer workers wait to claim them, but they cap out at a retirement age of 70.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The trustees predicted that the old-age and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/united-nations-alerts-policymakers-to-brace-for-an-aging-population\/\" title=\"United Nations Alerts Policymakers To Brace For An Aging Population\">survivors insurance trust fund<\/a> would only be enough to pay 78% of scheduled benefits in the fourth quarter of 2032.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The OASI trust fund, combined with the disability insurance trust fund, is projected to be able to pay out benefits until 2034, after which there will only be enough to pay out 83% of benefits, the trustees project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreno and Warren address the projections in their joint op-ed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s just six years away,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cInstead of cutting benefits for the retirees who count on Social Security, we need to take bipartisan action to protect those benefits, reward work and restore fairness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat starts with a common-sense solution: lifting the Social Security payroll tax cap,\u201d the two added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AARP Ohio <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AARPOhio\/status\/2070628018674905189\">praised<\/a> Moreno for joining with Warren on the matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Excited to see [Moreno] working across the aisle on a bipartisan plan to strengthen Social Security without cutting benefits,\u201d the group posted on X. \u201cThis is a serious step forward &#038; exactly the kind of action Ohioans deserve &#038; 92% want based on our recent poll.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But critics of the Warren-Moreno plan also argue it won\u2019t just raise taxes on the wealthy \u2014 that is because for this year, the payroll tax cap, or taxable maximum, is $184,500.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Put simply, someone earning $80,000 per year pays a Social Security tax on 100% of that as does someone making $184,500. But if someone earns $250,000, they only pay a Social Security tax on that first $184,500. So by lifting the cap, those earning above that would be paying more in taxes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in some high-cost-of-living parts of the country, $184,500 is really not all that rich, according to Mark Warshawsky, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and an expert in healthcare and retirement policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn fact, in many parts of the country, that\u2019s really a middle-class earnings, particularly if it\u2019s a one-earner family, that\u2019s a middle-class standard of living,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cSo you\u2019re raising the taxes on those people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A second Republican strategist with experience in Ohio who the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> spoke with said that in Ohio, Social Security and Medicare are major concerns because of the aging population in the state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second strategist also pointed out that Ohio has been less of a swing state in recent elections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA big part of that has to do with your recognition you have an older, more blue-collar electorate there for whom protecting these entitlement programs is really a do-or-die issue, and it\u2019s kind of the table stakes of political viability,\u201d the strategist said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But notably, there haven\u2019t been other Republican senators who have signed on to the Warren-Moreno push yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4623852\/housing-bill-affordability-relief-midterm-elections\/\"><strong>HOUSING BILL WOULDN\u2019T OFFER MUCH AFFORDABILITY RELIEF UNTIL AFTER MIDTERM ELECTIONS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) is up for election in the state this year and said he is \u201cnot on board\u201d with such a plan during an interview on Guy Benson\u2019s show on Fox Radio.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI love Bernie Moreno \u2014 he\u2019s my friend, he\u2019s my colleague. I agree that we should protect Social Security and strengthen Social Security, but this rifle approach with the giant tax increase is not the way I would go about it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Moreno proposes higher taxes on the wealthy to save Social Security<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3360,"featured_media":2621330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/moreno-social-security-tax-hike-plan.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[24594,4333,81948,33104,38341],"class_list":["post-2621329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-moreno","tag-ohio","tag-retirement-funding","tag-social-security","tag-tax-policy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/moreno-social-security-tax-hike-plan.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2621329"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2621333,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621329\/revisions\/2621333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2621330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2621329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2621329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2621329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}