Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry's recent criticism of Social Security may have left some seniors feeling far from secure. With his "Ponzi-scheme" characterization of the program fully out in the open, rival GOP contenders are have sought to distance themselves from the Texas governor's stance.

Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann is one of them. In an interview with The Des Moines Register, the Iowa native said, "People, I think, rightly have a genuine concern about the governor’s commitment to Social Security benefits for current retirees."

Bachmann signaled she does not support fully eliminating Social Security for current seniors. She said she would like to see reforms made to the program to meet the needs of current financial pitfalls facing younger generations.

Perry came under scrutiny over his stance on Social Security after participating in his first Republican presidential debate of the election season since announcing his candidacy. During the forum he said, "The Republican candidates are talking about ways to transition this program and it is a monstrous lie. It is a Ponzi scheme."

Perry's remarks have remained in the spotlight and came up during Monday night's GOP primary debate in Florida. Prior to the CNN-Tea Party Express-sponsored forum, HuffPost's Jon Ward noted that the Texas governor " target="_hplink">softened his language in defining his stance on the issue.

When the lights came on that evening in Florida, Perry was pushed on camera by rival candidate Mitt Romney on his position on Social Security. During a lively exchange between the pair of candidates, Perry returned to the "p" word, standing by his criticism of the program as a " target="_hplink">"Ponzi scheme".

Below, video of what Perry had to say about the issue during Monday night's debate.

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