I passed Senator Johnson's terrific idea on to the Caregiver but she could not be coaxed into finding a part time job. Perhaps I might . . . .

 

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Fri, September 2, 2022 at 9:16 AM

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks during a hearing before Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2022 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong/Getty Images

• GOP Sen. Johnson said that he'd like to "coax" seniors out of retirement to ease the labor shortage.

• "If they want to get back and earn a few extra bucks, let them start working and don't charge them payroll tax," he said.

• Johnson has also suggested putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every year.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said in a recent tele-town hall that he's in favor of enticing retirees to jump back into the workforce to help fix a persistent labor shortage.

"There are a number of innovative ideas I would support. Former Sen. Phil Gramm came to the Senate, we were talking about our labor shortage," Johnson said on Wednesday, referring to a past GOP senator from Texas. "One of his suggestions was to coax seniors that could re-enter the workforce — don't charge them payroll tax. They're not paying it anyway. So if they want to get back and earn a few extra bucks, let them start working and don't charge them payroll tax."