Jon Ossoff's ad says Mike Collins wants to push people off Social Security
Jon OssoffJon Ossoff U.S. Senate campaign
An Ossoff campaign television ad used a portion of Collins’s radio interview—“get off of Social Security, get back into the workforce”—to argue that he wanted to push beneficiaries off Social Security.
“He wants to push you off Social Security.”
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
The ad first aired on August 8, 2026 and cited a June 2025 radio interview. It depicts older adults while making its Social Security claim.
After the quotation
Asked about the characterization, the Ossoff campaign said the ad did not allege coercion, but said Collins had made clear that he wanted to exert influence and pressure to move beneficiaries into the workforce.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the advertisement fairly represented Collins’s radio interview, and the advertisement is the conduct under scrutiny. By presenting the clipped excerpt as Collins’s position, the campaign asserts that its reading is fair. The closest competing label is “Condemned,” which would describe criticism of the advertisement; the ad criticizes Collins, not its own characterization of him.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Mike Collins
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Classification correction
Correction to: Statement by Jon Ossoff
- Previous classification
- Position Event #320 classifies the Ossoff campaign’s Social Security advertisement as “Condemned,” on the ground that it criticizes Collins’s position on Social Security.
- Corrected classification
- The advertisement is the conduct under scrutiny in the case, which asks whether it fairly represented Collins’s radio interview. By presenting the clipped excerpt as Collins’s position, the campaign asserts that its reading is fair, so the classification is “Defended or excused.”
The label was measured against Collins rather than against the case’s fixed question about the advertisement, so it read as the opposite of the campaign’s stance on that question. The same case already labels the campaign’s later defense of the ad (#1066) “Defended or excused.” The quotation, summary and sources are unchanged.
This corrects an editorial classification.
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.
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.
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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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Jon Ossoff's ad says Mike Collins wants to push people off Social Security
- First published
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- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/320-an-ossoff-campaign-television-ad-used-a-portion
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Jon Ossoff's ad says Mike Collins wants to push people off Social Security". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/320-an-ossoff-campaign-television-ad-used-a-portion