# Sen. Cassidy Warns Social Security's 'Clock Is Ticking' and Says the Bigger 2027 COLA Speeds Up the Shortfall

The Louisiana Republican says the trust fund has about five and a half years left and wants Congress to move on his $1.5 trillion investment-fund plan.

- Section: [Economy](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/economy/)
- Published: 2026-10-18
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/cassidy-social-security-clock-is-ticking-cola/

The 3.6% Social Security raise coming in 2027 is good news for retirees. One senator says it also makes the program's money problem arrive sooner.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Fox Business that "the clock is ticking." A higher COLA, he said, "reflects recent inflation, but I think it's going to drain the trust fund that much faster."

His numbers, in his words: "we now have like 5½ years until the trust fund goes empty." After that, he said, the law calls for a 28.5% cut in benefits, "or Congress ignores the law and just starts to borrow money like crazy to pay benefits."

Fox Business reports the 2027 increase works out to roughly $75 more per beneficiary per month. That is the raise we covered when the Social Security Administration announced it.

Cassidy has a proposal: put $1.5 trillion into a separate investment account to help close the projected gap. Fox says he wants Congress to act before the situation gets worse. The report does not lay out how the account would be funded or how much of the shortfall it would cover, so we are not guessing at either.

Not everyone sees the raise as generous. AARP Senior Vice President Bill Sweeney said 76% of older adults tell the group the COLA is not keeping up with inflation. "These are people who really rely on Social Security and especially the COLA to make sure that they can continue to pay their bills," he said.

That is the squeeze Fox describes: lawmakers need to protect retirees' buying power while also dealing with the program's long-term finances, and the two goals pull in opposite directions. The timeline in this piece is Cassidy's own estimate, and Fox also links a separate interview in which Social Security chief Bisignano says the program will be around for another 90 years. Readers should weigh the two claims against the trustees' official report.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox Business](https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/senator-warns-clock-ticking-social-security-funds-run-dry)