Hovde: Raise retirement age because young people could live to ‘120’ years old with ‘crazy’ technology

While speaking with a voter at the Outagamie County Fair, Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde argued that the retirement age for receiving Social Security benefits should be increased for younger people.

Citing technological and medical advancements allowing people to live past the age of 100, Hovde said that people under the age of 50 should have their retirement age increased.

“But for people that are 50 and above, no you don’t touch the retirement age, but if you’re younger, okay you’re going to live longer anyways,” Hovde said. “I mean they’re talking about crazy things that some young people could live to 100, 120 with all the technologies that are coming.”

HOT MIC: Wisconsin GOP Senate hopeful Eric Hovde backs raising the Social Security retirement age because young people could “live until 100, 120 with new technologies that are coming.” pic.twitter.com/6GF5QmY21G

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) July 8, 2024

The banker-turned-politician also told the unnamed voter that the Affordable Care Act provision allowing young people younger than 26 years old to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan is “stupid” and that “they need to grow up and move on.”

The Hovde campaign did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.

Hovde is the latest conservative to float increasing the retirement age. In March, congressional Republicans included a retirement age increase in a proposed budget plan that could become law should the GOP retake the Senate and presidency. And as a presidential candidate, Nikki Haley garnered controversy last year after she told Bloomberg News that “65 is way too low” for the retirement age.