The College Fix

OPINION: The Trump administration isn’t unjustly taking away anyone’s Social Security – it’s ensuring people pay their debts

“Social Security Benefits Could Be Slashed to $750 Under Trump’s Student Loan Wage Seizure,” bellows a Forbes headline. Some “beneficiaries will face 15% cuts in June,” warns MassLive.

In reality, the opposite of where mainstream media journalists live, the Trump administration is moving to ensure student loans borrowed are paid for. It follows a five-year reprieve from most federal student loans which the president himself instituted in March 2020. The Trump administration has begun collecting loans that have been in default more than 270 days, since the freeze ended in Oct. 2024.

According to Forbes, Trump “could drastically cut [seniors] Social Security benefits, potentially leaving them with just $750 per month to live on.”

“Social Security beneficiaries who have fallen behind on their student loan payments face up to 15% garnishment of their payments,” MassLive reports.

It is unfortunate that some people struggle with debt. Anyone could face unexpected difficulties – get hit by a bus, contract a debilitating and expensive disease, or be widowed at a young age, throwing finances into a wreck.

Those are certainly difficult situations, and in those cases, communities should come together to help those in need. Furthermore, there are state and federal programs to help people who are disabled or have other reasons they cannot pay back their student loans.

But as a general principle, asking people to pay back their student loans from their income, including Social Security, is not wrong.

One retiree complained to Business Insider: “It is unbelievable that I live in America and they prize dollars over people.” “It’s kind of heartbreaking because at least I still have a home at the moment. And there are people who don’t, and they still expect this stuff from them. It’s hopeless on top of hopeless,” Vickie Bright said.

It is truly not “hopeless on top of hopeless.” Nor is the country prizing “dollars over people.”

MORE: It is possible to pay off student loans with work and financial discipline

Her Social Security comes from money taken not just from her check, but from other people. If every Millennial and Gen Z found a way to avoid paying Social Security taxes, Bright would face deep cuts. And while I did not really have a choice to participate in Social Security, Bright had a choice to take out student loans. If she does not pay them, someone, a younger generation, has to cover the costs. She is prizing her “dollars” “over [other] people.”

We don’t know much about Bright, but it seems safe to assume if there were extenuating circumstances, such as a medical diagnosis or disability, Business Insider would have shared it. After all, it would certainly make for a more sympathetic portrait and make Trump look evil. Since this is a primary goal of mainstream media journalists, we can assume there are no major circumstances worth knowing about.

We do know that she has a home. When people get older, particularly when they retire and their income drops, decisions have to be made.

You cannot have it all. Bright, facing debts coming due and presumably a fixed income, could have looked at the situation and decided to move into an apartment or downsize her home. Again, assuming she has no physical or mental limitations, she could have continued working or reduced her hours.

There are some surprises in life and some bad things that happen with forewarning. Perfectly healthy trees, when hit with a bad enough storm, could fall over and destroy a home. On the other hand, these student loans are like a rotting tree that year after year continues to get visibly closer to falling over.

People can put off dealing with problems for some time, and certainly I do myself, but at some point the bill comes due.

When that happens, there is no unjust “seizure” of income – it’s just a payment.

MORE: Most workers pay back student loans on time, study finds

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: An old smiling lady; SHVETS/Pexel

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