Proposal to Increase Social Security Benefits by $200 Monthly Gains Support

Millions of Social Security recipients could get an extra $200 a month under a proposal backed by Senator Bernie Sanders.

Dubbed the “Bernie Bump,” the increase would be paid on top of beneficiaries’ regular Social Security benefits and annual cost-of-living adjustment. If approved, the boost would apply to nearly all current beneficiaries, including retirees, people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance and those receiving survivor benefits.

The proposal is part of Sanders’ Social Security Expansion Act, introduced in February 2025. In addition to raising monthly benefits, the legislation would change how future COLAs are calculated. Instead of using the current inflation measure, the bill would use the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, which places greater weight on expenses such as health care and prescription drugs that tend to make up a larger share of older Americans’ budgets.

The legislation would also increase the amount of income subject to Social Security payroll taxes. Under the proposal, earnings above $250,000 would once again be subject to the tax. Sanders’ office says the change would leave 91 percent of households earning $250,000 or less without a tax increase.

The proposed benefit increase comes as Social Security faces a long-term financial challenge. The program’s trust funds are projected to be depleted in 2032 without congressional action, which could result in an across-the-board reduction in benefits.

Vermont Senator Sanders – a left-leaning independent who caucuses with the Democrats – has urged lawmakers to address the program’s finances while increasing benefits for Americans who rely on Social Security.

“If Congress does not act within the next six years, Social Security benefits will be cut by 22 percent. We have an obligation to the American people to ensure that never happens,” Sanders wrote in an August 3 letter to colleagues. “Just as importantly, we have a responsibility to tell the American people exactly where we stand. Americans deserve to know not only how we will extend Social Security’s solvency, but how we will address the retirement crisis facing millions of seniors today.”

Despite the attention surrounding the “Bernie Bump,” the $200 increase is not currently being paid. The Social Security Expansion Act remains a proposal and would need to pass Congress and be signed into law before the additional payments could begin.

There is currently no scheduled start date for the proposed increase. Until then, beneficiaries will continue receiving Social Security payments under the existing system, including any COLA increases approved under current law.