Editorial: Social Security and Medicare clocks tick to depletion

As President Donald Trump and Congress fumble through his “One Big Beautiful Bill” on the budget for fiscal year 2025-26, they have been ignoring the mastodon in the room: Social Security and Medicare are heading into depletion.

The funds are not in immediate danger. But according to the annual report of the funds’ Board of Trustees, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the key part of Social Security, can pay 100% of benefits only until 2033, the same estimate as last year. After that...