Rep. John Curtis says he will be ‘tip of the spear’ on Social Security reform in the Senate

The morning after he won his race for the U.S. Senate, Utah Rep. John Curtis brought up the announcement he wrote that was published in the Deseret News on Oct. 2, 2023: "After many hours of consultation, prayer and contemplation, I have decided to stay out of the U.S. Senate race at this time."

Three months later, Curtis made a different announcement: He was filing his declaration of candidacy at the Utah lieutenant governor's office. That change of heart paid off Tuesday when he was elected to succeed Sen. Mitt Romney in the Senate.

Curtis' wife, Sue Snarr Curtis, was one of the people who convinced him to run after all, he said during an editorial board meeting Wednesday morning with the Deseret News and KSL. She was "persistent," he said.

Last night, sharing his win with his wife was a "warm experience," he said, holding back tears as he recalled the tender moment when victory was announced.

Now Curtis is gearing up to move from the House side to the Senate Office Buildings adjacent to Congress. He's already thought about where he'd like his office to be (maybe the Hart Building), and which committees he's interested in sitting on — Commerce and Banking were among the options he floated.

Curtis on Senate leadership vote Curtis will join the Senate at a time when Republicans will be in the majority for the first time since Democrats wrestled control of the chamber from them in the 2020 elections.

Senate Republicans are also eyeing new leadership, as long-serving Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell prepares to step down from the role. Among those who have been floated to replace him are South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott.

Utah's senior Sen. Mike Lee has spoken on behalf of some of the more conservative senators in the chamber, laying out the changes they'd like a new leader to agree to in order to earn their votes.

Curtis said he thought Senate Republicans would likely go with Thune or Cornyn, and he said he respected both men and thought both would do a good job in the role.

Curtis wants to reform Social Security His conversations with the leadership candidates focused on the role he'd like to play in the Senate, especially on issues like increasing energy production, fighting the national debt and reforming Social Security.

"In my conversations with both John Thune and John Cornyn, I have looked them in the eye and said, 'I will be your tip of the spear on Social Security and Medicare. Everybody else is afraid to talk about it. I'm not afraid to talk about it.' I told them both, 'you use me as the tip of the spear, I'm fine with that,'" he said.

Curtis said he doesn't think it hurts him in Utah to talk about Social Security reform — which has been called the "third rail" of politics because of voter fear over losing the popular program.

Among the reforms he said he would consider include raising the eligibility age and raising the income limit for Social Security payroll taxes — two suggestions that have been floated by reformers before.

Incoming President Donald Trump has said he would "fight for and protect Social Security," and proposed eliminating taxes on Social Security payments. But the cost of the program — along with Medicare — grows alongside the country's aging population, overwhelming the national budget.

That's why Curtis said he's willing to take a leading role in the Senate to try to build bipartisan consensus on Social Security reform.

If Republicans truly want to make changes to Social Security, this may be the time to do it, given that they might control the presidency, House and Senate after Tuesday's election.

Curtis plans to continue with conservative climate agenda, fight debt Curtis' desire to reform the popular program come alongside his concerns over the national debt, which has been on a steep upward trajectory over the past two decades. The cost to service the debt has grown as well, eating up a larger and larger portion of the national budget.

Trump promised to cut the size of the government, alongside his new ally Elon Musk, during his presidential campaign, including by slashing the size of the bureaucracy.

While saying he thought voters wanted "reasonable" change, Curtis added that he will try to have the "courage" and "insight" to speak up on issues like the debt, even when it isn't popular — which is what he did when he spoke out about climate change when it was not a popular issue for Republicans.

"You can't foresee what's coming," he said, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two impeachments of Trump, and the war in Ukraine as issues that surfaced during his tenure in the House.

Curtis has sponsored 20 pieces of legislation that have passed into law, and he said he wants to continue to find areas where he can make a difference in the Senate — including on issues he worked closely on in the House, including energy productions.

Curtis said he wants Utah to "lead the nation," and for the U.S. to "lead the world" in energy production, and that means adding transmission capabilities and permitting reform. And that also means looking at sources of energy that are "affordable, reliable and clean." That's a message he said he would share with Trump, when given the chance.