Moreno, Warren Propose Ending $184,500 Social Security Tax Cap to Raise $3.4 Trillion
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 25
Moreno, Warren Propose Ending $184,500 Social Security Tax Cap to Raise $3.4 Trillion
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 25
Summary
Sen. Bernie Moreno and Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week proposed scrapping Social Security’s $184,500 wage cap, a change backers say would raise about $3.4 trillion over 10 years.
The payroll tax now applies only to wages up to that threshold; removing the cap would extend the 12.4% levy to all earnings while benefits remain capped.
Critics argue the move would sharply lift top tax rates on labor income—to 55.95% in Ohio and 62.2% in Massachusetts—and could cut long-run GDP by 1.4%, citing Tax Foundation estimates.
Even with that revenue, the proposal would close only about half of Social Security’s funding gap, leaving the program’s core demographic strain—fewer workers supporting longer-living retirees—unresolved.