These sorts of things happen every few years.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownlow_Committee

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Commission

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Partnership_for_Rei...

congresspersons feeling beholden to their constituents

Isn't that what they should feel? Aren't the folks in Congress supposed to look after the needs and wants of those that voted them into office?

If you're not worried about the normal politics from ending social security, then why not end social security?

Because SS is what people want:

Support for Social Security is strong across all age groups, with more than 90 percent of respondents feeling that either too little or the right amount is spent on the program. Even among those 18 to 29, less than 10 percent feel we spend too much.

* https://blog.aarp.org/thinking-policy/social-security-high-p...

And it prevent a lot of people from sinking into poverty:

Without Social Security benefits, nearly 4 in 10 adults aged 65 and older would have incomes below the official poverty line, all else being equal, according to our estimates based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2023 Current Population Survey. Social Security benefits lift more than 16.5 million older adults above the official poverty line, these estimates show.

* https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/top-ten-facts-...

... and instead he tripled the deficit.

Of all the various delusions people have about the debt, the idea of Reagan as the great government cutter is perhaps the most deranged.