Mike Collins says he misspoke and meant Medicaid, not Social Security
Mike CollinsMike Collins U.S. Senate campaign, through spokesperson Sam Densmore
The Collins campaign said the Social Security reference was a mistake, that he meant Medicaid, and that the Ossoff ad intentionally truncated the interview to mislead voters.
“Rep. Collins misspoke”
Interview
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did Jon Ossoff’s Social Security ad fairly represent Mike Collins’s radio interview?
Jon Ossoff’s campaign ran an ad using Mike Collins’s words “get off of Social Security, get back into the workforce” to say Collins wanted to push beneficiaries off Social Security. Collins’s campaign said he misspoke and meant Medicaid; Ossoff’s campaign said the ad fairly reflected Collins’s support for pressuring beneficiaries into work. The full radio interview contains the surrounding discussion of tax cuts, Medicaid, Social Security, and work incentives.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Primary full interview record. Collins was making an argument for tax cuts and work incentives and referred in one sentence to Medicaid, Social Security, and returning to work. This is the full record from which the campaign ad excerpted audio. FactCheck.org reproduces the passage in its own transcription. The timestamp is episode publication, not a verified recording time.
Reporting
About this source
Reporting that identifies when the Ossoff television ad began, links the full June 2025 radio interview and ad, and records direct responses from both campaigns. It is used for the campaigns’ stated interpretations; the radio interview remains the primary record for Collins’s full wording.
Before the quotation
FactCheck.org asked the Collins campaign to explain the June 2025 radio remark after the Ossoff ad began airing.
After the quotation
FactCheck.org reported that the cited full interview did not contain an immediate correction and that the campaign did not provide a location for one when asked. The Ossoff campaign separately defended the ad’s interpretation.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The campaign directly contests the ad’s interpretation and says the excerpt omits crucial context.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Jon Ossoff
More from this case
Read the full casePolitiFact rates the ad's claims Mostly False
PolitiFact
“Mostly False”Read statement
Collins spokesperson Meyer Siegfried disputes the ad's characterization
“He was not talking about taking earned Social Security retirement benefits away from seniors... Rep. Collins believes seniors who spent their lives paying into Social Security should receive the benefits they earned.”Read statement
Social Security Works says Collins wants seniors to keep working instead of drawing Social Security
Social Security Works
“SHAME: Mike Collins says seniors need to “get off Social Security [and] get back into the workforce””Read statement
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- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Mike Collins says he misspoke and meant Medicaid, not Social Security
- First published
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- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/319-the-collins-campaign-said-the-social-security-reference
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Mike Collins says he misspoke and meant Medicaid, not Social Security". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/319-the-collins-campaign-said-the-social-security-reference