Time was when Gov. Ron DeSantis was framed as someone who wanted to reform Social Security and raise the age of eligibility, but the Governor has evolved as a presidential candidate.
On Thursday in Clive, Iowa, he offered the latest evidence of that policy shift, again disclaiming interest in restricting the senior entitlement program because working class men increasingly die before deriving much benefit.
"The problem if you actually follow what's happening in this country, is that life expectancy is declining in America, and it's declining pretty significantly, and it has a significant impact on men who do blue collar work," DeSantis said.
DeSantis suggested Nikki Haley would raise the age of eligibility before making the case for the status quo.
"I just feel like if people are breaking their back, working hard labor throughout their life, to provide for their family getting taxed and then put them in a position given the demographic trends where they would not really receive very much benefit at all. You know, I don't think that's fair."
DeSantis has made similar comments, such as in December in New Hampshire.
"We used to think it was just gonna keep going up. I mean, it's been a pretty steep decline. So I don't see how you raise it if life expectancy is declining."
DeSantis said that the decrease in lifespans isn't "just from COVID," but is "from a lot of other things," including "deaths of despair, overdoses" and "other things, that have happened that I think the government hasn't been willing to really be honest about."
"It should reflect life expectancy and what we've had in this country is a pretty significant decline in life expectancy. And so given those circumstances to raise (qualifying ages), it would be cutting against where the demographics are going. So that's not going to happen," the Governor said in Iowa back in August.
Domestic life expectancy is just over 76 years on average, which was where it was in the last decade of the 20th century.
