U.S. Senate pushes PROMISE Act to force vote on Social Security solvency

A bipartisan group of eight senators introduced the Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act. The bill would direct the Social Security Advisory Board to draft a plan that guarantees at least 50 years of solvency and require Congress to debate, amend and vote on it within 100 hours, creating a procedural hurdle to inaction. The legislation calls for an independent bipartisan advisory committee and a decennial review of the plan.

The proposal comes after the 2026 Social Security Board of Trustees report projected the retirement trust fund would be depleted by 2032, triggering an automatic 22% benefit cut. More than 70 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and the bill’s sponsors argue that without a forced vote the program faces a “critical problem.” Senators Dick Durbin (IL (retiring), Bill Cassidy LA (retiring), Tim Kaine VA, Thom Tillis NC (retiring), Angus King ME, John Cornyn TX, Chris Coons DE and Alan Armstrong OK signed on. The effort follows a similar House initiative that sought to create a commission to develop a long‑term solvency plan.