Dear Rusty: What happens to seniors if the country runs out of funds to pay monthly Social Security benefits? I am 78 years old, and Social Security is my only income. Signed: Worried Senior

Dear Worried Senior: Please put your mind at ease. The government will never run out of money to pay Social Security benefits. That’s because if people are working and contributing to the program (that is, always), Social Security will always have at least some money to pay benefits. What you are hearing about are recent media reports that Social Security has financial issues, expected to come to a head in just six years.

The primary risk for you and everyone else is this: If the reserves in the Social Security trust fund (currently about $2.5 trillion) run dry, it would result in a reduction in everyone’s monthly benefits. Right now, the Social Security trustees are projecting a cut of about 22% starting in fall 2032. But that will happen only if Congress fails to act and reform Social Security before the reserves are fully depleted. And that is, in our opinion, not likely to happen unless Congress is completely derelict in its obligations to American seniors and their dependents. It’s not a pleasant scenario, but neither is it one likely to occur.

Here at the AMAC Foundation, we are working vigorously to prevent the depletion of the Social Security trust fund, and our expectation is that Congress will, indeed, eventually take action to prevent any cuts to monthly benefits. It would be political suicide for Congress and any president to allow those benefit cuts to occur. That would greatly increase the poverty rate in America. As we have often reported publicly, we have already proposed a common-sense plan to restore Social Security to long-term solvency, and we are working in Congress and with the Social Security Administration to promote the needed reform. You can see more details of AMAC’s plan at https://amac.us/social-security-guarantee.

So, while we fully understand your personal anxiety, we feel confident in assuring you that you are very unlikely to experience any cuts to your monthly Social Security income. We are firmly committed to preventing that from happening and will continue to lobby Congress for the changes needed before the trust fund is fully depleted.

“Ask Rusty” is a layperson’s guide to the intricacies of Social Security, provided by the Association of Mature American Citizens. To submit a question, visit amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.