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Old 11-08-2022, 12:39 PM   #1041
Pete F.
Canceled
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: vt
Posts: 13,069
Here ya go and of course they haven’t done it yet, but just like the things the theocratic court would never do…..

1. Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy Hints at Cuts

During a recent interview with Punchbowl News, top House Republican Kevin McCarthy made clear he wanted to cut spending. He did not specifically mention Social Security or Medicare, but they are among the biggest parts of the federal budget and have long been a target of Republicans. McCarthy explained that spending cuts were necessary to reduce the national debt, but his party also wants to extend the Trump tax cuts, which are already on pace to add nearly $2 trillion to the deficit.

2. Influential House Republicans Threaten to Use the Debt Ceiling to Make Cuts to the Programs

The week before McCarthy’s interview, the four Republicans fighting to serve as House Budget Committee Chairman in the next Congress told Bloomberg Government that they would use the debt ceiling deadline to force cuts to programs Democrats support, such as Social Security and Medicare.

“Our main focus has got to be on nondiscretionary—it’s got to be on entitlements,” such as Social Security and Medicare, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) said.

The Republicans told Blomberg they wanted to increase the eligibility age for both programs and/or reduce benefits for some wealthier Americans. Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma explicitly stated that the debt ceiling deadline is “obviously a leverage point” for achieving their goals.

Raising the eligibility age is “the worst way to cut benefits,” according to Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

“It hurts most the people who can’t work any longer. These are people with less education and physically harder jobs. They get stuck with lower benefits for the rest of their lives,” she told Politifact.

3. Sen. Ron Johnson Said Social Security and Medicare Should Be Renegotiated Every Single Year

Over the summer, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson straight up came out and said Social Security and Medicare should not be guaranteed—as they currently are—and should instead be negotiated by Congress every single year. Johnson, who is running for a third term in November, made his comments during an interview on the Regular Joe Show, hosted by Joe Giganti.

Speaking on the program, Johnson argued that mandatory programs like Social Security and Medicare should be reformed and fall under “discretionary spending”—which means Congress could cut funding for them or eliminate them altogether.

4. Sen. Rick Scott Said Social Security and Medicare Should Be Renegotiated Every Five Years

In February, Florida Sen. Rick Scott released his “Plan to Rescue America,” a grab-bag of extreme policies, including a proposal to “sunset” all federal legislation in five years, requiring Congress to re-authorize every federal law, including those governing Medicare and Social Security. This would ease the path for Republicans to ultimately kill them.

5. 157 House Republicans Backed Cuts to the Programs

The Republican Study Committee (RSC)—a group of 157 House Republicans—this year released its “Blueprint to Save America,” where they propose raising the eligibility ages for Medicare and Social Security and withholding payments to those who retired early and earned over a certain amount, effectively making cuts to the program.

The RSC isn’t some fringe group; it includes 74% of House Republicans, including North Carolina Senate nominee Ted Budd, who’s previously voted for cuts to Medicare and Social Security, voted to raise the retirement age, and recently hinted he might vote for cuts to the programs in the future.

6. Sen. Lindsey Graham Called Reforming Social Security and Medicare a “Must”

Finally, we come to South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who in June said “entitlement reform is a must” and suggested he’s open to changing the income cap and eligibility age for programs like Social Security and Medicare.
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