Democratic ads attack Republicans for voting to “raid the Social Security Trust Fund.”

(from Fact Check)

Summary

Democrats get no points for originality on this one, and demerits for lack of honesty. In half a dozen ads they accuse a number of GOP House incumbents of voting repeatedly to “raid the Social Security Trust Fund.”

That line was bunk when Republicans used it against Democratic candidates in the past, and it’s bunk now. One leading Social Security expert called it “nonsense” as far back as 1999, and that still holds.

The ads refer to votes that don’t directly affect Social Security at all. They turn out to be votes in favor of annual budget resolutions setting targets for revenue and appropriations. Current Social Security benefits aren’t affected, and the trust fund builds up binding IOUs just the same whether the overall budget is in deficit, balanced or in surplus.