MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare should be pushed back for future retirees. And he wants to cut off benefits in the future for retirees with annual incomes of $200,000 or more.
Christie says seniors who want to work after the age of 62 should be exempt from the payroll tax.
In a speech in New Hampshire, the potential GOP presidential candidate tackled cherished benefit programs that are often considered untouchable in politics.
Christie says his approach would cut deficits by $1 trillion over a decade — and confront the nation’s “biggest challenges in an honest way.” He says the Obama administration has failed to do that — and has put the nation “on a perilous course for both our short-term and our long-term futures.”
The proposal marked an attempt to establish Christie’s deficit-cutting credentials in a race that has three other Republicans as declared presidential candidates, with more to come. Christie says he will decide in May or June whether to launch a campaign for the nomination.
It was Christie’s first major policy address of the 2016 season and offered more specifics than he’s typically offered on national issues.