1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

The national debt just crossed 100 percent of GDP for the first time since 1946, and Congress keeps deferring the hard choices. One fix is obvious and overdue: lift the cap on Social Security payroll taxes so the wealthiest Americans pay into the system on their full income, not just the first slice of it. Right now, a billionaire stops contributing to Social Security after earning a fraction of what they make in a year. A nurse or a teacher pays in on every dollar they earn. That's not a tax system — it's a subsidy for the ultra-wealthy. In 2024, net interest payments on the debt surpassed defense spending for the first time. The Congressional Budget Office projects interest will hit 4.6 percent of GDP by 2036, nearly double what we spend on defense. We are mortgaging the future to pay for the past, and the people most able to help carry that load are getting a free pass. Raising the payroll tax cap is not a radical idea. It's a straightforward way to shore up Social Security and generate revenue without touching middle-class families. The margin for error shrinks with every new trillion dollars of debt. Stop protecting the wealthy from the same obligations everyone else meets and act on this now.