POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Did Mike Collins tell older Americans to ‘get off of Social Security’? Ossoff’s ad omits context
The Claim U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia, has aired multiple television advertisements accusing his Republican opponent, U.S. Representative Mike Collins, of...
The Claim
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia, has aired multiple television advertisements accusing his Republican opponent, U.S. Representative Mike Collins, of wanting to push older Americans off of Social Security and back to work. These ads feature a clip from a 2025 radio interview where Collins appears to say, Get off of Social Security. Get, get back into the workforce. The ad then warns that Collins is attacking retirement benefits, implying he wants to cut or eliminate them.
The claim centers on an audio clip from a June 5, 2025, interview on Atlanta radio station XTRA 106.3, where Collins was discussing federal spending and economic policy. While the ad focuses on older Americans, it omits key context from the full interview, which significantly alters the meaning of the statement. Ossoff’s campaign has used this partial quote in two separate TV ads, both of which have circulated widely in Georgia ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Details & Investigation
The viral claim originates from a 2025 radio interview between U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and a host on XTRA 106.3. In the full interview, Collins was not directly addressing older Americans or their Social Security benefits. Instead, he was making a broader argument about the need to reduce government dependence and encourage workforce participation by lowering taxes and regulatory burdens. He stated, It’s just Business 101. You know, you’ve got spending and you’ve got revenue, and you set it up to where you can increase your revenue, and you do that by lowering taxes and making it more advantageous for people to work and to get off of Medicaid, get off of Social Security, get back into the workforce.
Collins’ comments were part of a larger discussion about fiscal responsibility and reducing reliance on government assistance programs. The phrase “get off of Social Security” was used in the context of encouraging individuals to re-enter the workforce, not specifically targeting seniors. Moreover, the ad’s framing of the quote—focusing only on older Americans—omits the fact that Social Security benefits are also received by disabled workers, widows, and children of deceased workers. This selective use of the quote creates a misleading narrative that does not reflect the full scope of Collins’ remarks.
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Ossoff’s campaign has also cited Collins’ support for House Joint Resolution 139 (H.J.Res.139), a constitutional amendment aimed at balancing the federal budget. While Collins voted in favor of the resolution, it did not pass the House and would have required a two-thirds majority in both chambers to raise tax rates. Experts from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warned that the resolution could lead to cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, but no such provisions were included in the final text. Additionally, Collins supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in 2025, which some analysts believe could accelerate the depletion of the Social Security trust fund. However, these actions do not equate to a direct effort to “gut” Social Security, as the ad claims.
Collins’ campaign has consistently maintained that he supports Social Security benefits for retirees who have earned them through decades of contributions. A spokesperson for Collins, Meyer Siegfried, emphasized that the ad’s use of the quote is a “cherry-picked” interpretation that ignores the broader context of the interview. Furthermore, while Collins has advocated for raising the retirement age as part of long-term fiscal planning, this is a policy proposal that affects future beneficiaries, not current retirees. Thus, the claim that he wants to push older Americans off of Social Security is not supported by verified evidence.
The Verdict
The claim that U.S. Rep. Mike Collins told older Americans to “get off of Social Security” is largely misleading. While Collins did make a general statement about encouraging people to return to the workforce, the context of his remarks was entirely different from what the ad implies. The ad selectively edits his quote to suggest that he is targeting seniors for removal from the program, which is not accurate.
Although Collins has supported policies that experts warn could eventually reduce Social Security benefits for future retirees, there is no evidence that he has ever explicitly advocated for cutting or eliminating benefits for current retirees. The term “gut” is an exaggeration, and the ad’s omission of key context makes the claim deceptive. Based on the full transcript of the interview and the lack of direct evidence supporting the ad’s narrative, the claim is rated MOSTLY FALSE.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
