Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin took to a stage in Arizona last week to speak to attendees at a conference hosted by a conservative nonprofit.
Mullin told the story of his life to Turning Point USA’s audience, starting with the speech impediment that frustrated him in school. Mullin touched on his time as a mixed martial artist and mentioned previous encounters with law enforcement.
“I’ve never run from anything but the police, and I wasn’t actually very successful at that,” Mullin said, joking about his reluctance to run for office at his wife's suggestion.
After his speech, Mullin fielded questions from the audience. A man who identified himself as Anthony from Boise, Idaho asked about Social Security reform, noting that in 2025, the taxable maximum is $176,100. Individuals who make more won’t have to pay the established 6.2% tax on whatever they earn over that amount.
“Would you be in favor of reforming Social Security so those making under could potentially pay less than 6.2%?”
Mullin didn’t directly answer the question, instead saying the key to reforming the federal government's safety net for those who are retired or disabled is to “kick people off who didn’t pay anything into it.” Current Social Security rules specify that an individual can qualify for benefits through a spouse, or they must have worked for five to 10 years themselves. Mullin said hidden fraud is rampant, though.
“I bet you Elon will figure it out. We have a tremendous amount of false payments going out,” said Mullin.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, will be co-head of the Department for Government Efficiency under incoming President-elect Donald Trump. The unofficial department will advise Trump on how to slash spending.
Mullin said once Social Secuity is audited, the system will stabilize and people won’t have to worry about Social Security going bankrupt. Social Security as it stands now will be insolvent by 2035.