Protect Workers and Social Security Through AI-Era Tax Reform

I am writing as a constituent to urge prompt, serious action to address the funding shortfall identified in the most recent Social Security Trustees Report. As you know, the report projects that the program's trust funds will face depletion in roughly six years, at which point benefits would be automatically reduced. That outcome would be devastating for millions of Americans who rely on Social Security for basic financial security. This challenge is significant, but it is also manageable—especially if Congress acts soon. However, the landscape demanding action has shifted. Major technological change produces major social change, and artificial intelligence now presents both an unprecedented opportunity and an urgent threat to Social Security's solvency and to workers' livelihoods more broadly. Analysis suggests that 18 percent of current American jobs could be displaced by A.I. in the next five years alone. While some new jobs will be created, societal disruption cause by the AI revolution is inevitable. Congress must act now, before the situation deteriorates further. I encourage you to strengthen Social Security's revenue base through three complementary approaches: First, earnings above the current taxable maximum of $176,400 should be subject to the Social Security payroll tax. This adjustment would better reflect today's income distribution and ensure that higher earners contribute more fairly to the system's sustainability. Second, implement a consumption tax on A.I. tokens — the units of data that A.I. models read, process, and generate. Currently, only human labor is taxed, which creates a structural incentive for companies to substitute machines for workers. A token tax would level this playing field. Revenue from this tax should be used to lower income taxes on workers and to fund a program that acquires equity stakes in leading A.I. companies on behalf of all citizens. This approach serves multiple purposes: it ensures companies think carefully about efficient use of computational resources, it provides workers and communities with a direct stake in A.I.'s success, and it helps maintain Social Security's funding base in an evolving economy. Third, companies that provide A.I. software as a service should be required to pay a portion of their earnings into the Social Security Trust Fund, particularly reflecting the wages that would have been paid to workers displaced by their technology or not hired due to A.I. adoption. There is strong historical precedent for bipartisan leadership on this issue. In 1983, Republicans and Democrats came together to enact reforms that stabilized Social Security for decades. That effort required political courage, compromise, and a shared commitment to the program's future. Today's situation calls for the same level of seriousness and cooperation—but with an added urgency born from technological transformation. Without these actions now, we risk both the insolvency of a program millions depend on and the social fracture that accompanies unmanaged disruption. We have a short window to ensure we protect human work and give every citizen a stake in technological progress.