The trust fund does not contain assets, just unfunded liabilities, which is why the trust funds are included in the $14.3 trillion national debt. Here is what the Congressional Budget Office said about trust funds:
"When a trust fund receives payroll taxes or other income that is not needed to pay benefits immediately, the Treasury credits the fund and uses the excess cash to reduce the amount of new federal borrowing that is needed to finance the governmentwide deficit. That is, if other tax and spending policies are unchanged, the government borrows less from the public than it would in the absence of those excess funds. The reverse is the case when revenues for a trust fund program fall short of expenses. Thus, the balances of trust funds are not a measure of resources available to pay future obligations for the respective programs; those resources will need to come from federal revenues or additional borrowing in the years those obligations are due."
We’ve been through this before, kabar. The Trust Funds hold non-public debt issued by the U.S. Government. You can call them IOU’s if you wish, but an IOU is just a promise to pay, as is any other debt issue.
My point, which seemed to elude you in the last exchange, is that the non-public debt can be converted to cash by having the Treasure issue public debt in its place. The non-public debt held by the Trust Fund is then canceled in exchange for the cash, which is then used to pay SS retirees. Because both types of debt are counted against the debt ceiling, the total debt outstanding remains the same.
The text you bolded (apparently so that I would see it and understand) actually states that what I’m advocating is indeed possible (...those resources will need to come from federal revenues or additional borrowing...) All I’m suggesting is that the “additional borrowing” be undertaken.