Rep. Haley Stevens proposes to lower Social Security retirement age for blue-collar workers

Amid several proposals to raise Social Security benefits for millions of American retirees, a house representative has proposed lowering the retirement age instead.

Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, on Thursday, September 24, tabled a draft title, the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act.

The bill proposes to lower the retirement age for workers in construction, nursing, manufacturing, and other jobs that demand physical work to 60.

This would mean the retirees would then be able to claim full Social Security benefits seven years earlier than is permitted under the existing law.

As per the current regulations, Americans born after 1960 can claim full Social Security benefits upon reaching the age of 67.

Workers may start claiming as they turn 62, but that comes with a 30% reduction in benefits.

“Michiganders who work with their hands shouldn’t be forced to wait until their bodies give out to retire,” said Stevens in a statement on Thursday, September 24, while introducing the bill in Washington, D.C.

The bill’s introduction comes amid a wider public debate about finding sources to fund Social Security as the program’s spending continues to outgrow its revenue.

The bill also directs the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to compile a list of qualifying professions, with the agency updating it every three years.

According to the Social Security Administration, as of January, an average retired worker received $2,071 a month in Social Security benefits.