Nikki Haley says U.S. needs to 'talk about entitlement reform'

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley says the United States needs to discuss entitlement reform such as Social Security and Medicare to avoid insolvency. 

"Yes, we do have to talk about entitlement reform," Haley, a former South Carolina governor, told Newsmax over the weekend while attending an event in Iowa. "But we don't take away from those who've been promised. We don't take away from those that put money in."

Haley, also a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, says that although raising the retirement age led to massive violent protests in France, it needs to be discussed in the United States.

"We look at those like my kids in their 20s, and we go to them and we say, 'To you, we're going to raise the retirement age, so it reflects life expectancy," Haley also said. "We're going to limit benefits on the wealthy. We're going to expand Medicare advantage plans. That's how we'll go and we'll pay down debt."

Most Republican presidential candidates have avoided discussing entitlement reforms while former President Donald Trump, the top contender for the 2024 nomination, has voiced support for funding for Medicare and Social Security.

Haley also said during the interview that her background in finance will ensure she can handle the country's financial issues. 

"I'm an accountant, and it's time that we actually put an accountant in the White House so that we can start treating taxpayer dollars the way they deserve to be treated," she said. "We deserve to know that we're not leaving a terrible debt and economy to our children. Our kids are never going to forgive us for this. That's why I'm going to make sure we go and we put an end to it."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.