We are disappointed by the President’s failure to mention the two lifeline programs which are the foundation of America’s retirement security safety net in tonight’s address to Congress. Seniors were hoping to hear him affirm his campaign promises not to touch Social Security and Medicare. This was an alarming omission considering that his party in Congress has targeted Social Security and Medicare for benefit cuts, reduced COLAs, higher eligibility ages, and ultimately – privatization.
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Asked Monday if the Trump administration would address “entitlement reform,” White House chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said it will “probably” look at “larger entitlements” next year. Entitlement reform generally refers to changes or cuts to large government social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid or food stamps.
via CNBC.
Related Reading:
Trump Advisor Re-Affirms Commitment to Cutting Social Security & Medicare.
- This aligns with comments from National Republican Congressional Committee chair, Rep. Steve Stivers, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and several other key GOP members about the need to pay for last year’s tax cuts by ‘reforming’ Social Security and Medicare. ‘Reforming,’ of course, means cutting and privatizing.
Republicans have removed all doubt: When it comes to the federal deficit, the problem is Medicare and Social Security — not their own tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.
Fresh off the news that the deficit is increasing under President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg News that Congress should target Social Security and Medicare for cuts to address the growing federal debt.
The federal deficit grew by nearly $800 billion over the first fiscal year of Trump’s presidency, during which the Republican Congress passed a tax cut targeted mostly to corporations and the wealthy, which is projected to add more than $1 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
The White House and GOP leaders promised that despite all projections to the contrary, the tax cuts would pay for themselves. That hasn’t materialized so far.
via Vox.
Related Reading:
Social Security is self-funded and does not contribute to the debt.
In fact, tax expenditures – especially the Trump/GOP tax cuts – are the number one drivers of the debt, not Social Security or Medicare.
Donald Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he would not cut Social Security or Medicare, and in his first budget as president, he is sticking to that promise. But congressional Republicans don’t believe Trump will stand by his pledge forever ― in fact, they’re counting on him to break it.
via Huffington Post.
Related Reading:
- Trump Snubs Seniors in Speech to Congress.
- He did not even utter the words “Social Security” or “Medicare” in his entire hour-long address.
Flashback Post:
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised not to touch Medicare or Social Security, but Trump’s selection of Tom Leppert to lead the “landing team” at the Social Security Administration may suggest Trump’s administration could move in a different direction.
via Talking Points Memo.
Related Reading:
- The Trump Conundrum: He Can’t Keep His Promise to Seniors While Also Repealing Obamacare.
- The problem for President-elect Trump is that the American people fully
expect his administration to now keep that campaign
promise. Unfortunately, preserving Medicare and Social Security benefits
could be among the first of his promises to go. Trump and Republican
leaders in Congress have vowed the repeal of the Affordable Care Act will be one of their first acts.
Mulvaney, who supports Social Security and Medicare reforms, told CNBC ‘we’re working on’ persuading Trump to embrace entitlement reform, including changes to Social Security Disability Insurance.
Millions of current and future retirees were no doubt hoping that President Trump would use last night’s speech to Congress to reaffirm his promises not to touch Social Security and Medicare. Instead, the President ducked and covered. He did not even utter the words “Social Security” or “Medicare” in his entire hour-long address. As for Medicaid – which millions of American seniors rely upon for skilled nursing care – the President only touched on it once, with a veiled reference to converting guaranteed benefits into block grants, which would hurt beneficiaries.
via Entitled to Know.
The “real” drivers of debt, according to McConnell, are “Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid,” “entitlements” from which the Senate majority leader would cut off the old and poor if only he could get Democrats to sign on.
(That’s probably unlikely to happen, given Nancy Pelosi’s statement today that, “Like clockwork, Republicans in Congress are setting in motion their plan to destroy the Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security that seniors and families rely on, just months after they exploded the deficit by $2 trillion with their tax scam for the rich,” and Chuck Schumer’s that suggesting cuts to “middle-class programs like Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid as the only fiscally responsible solution to solve the debt problem is nothing short of gaslighting.”)
via Vanity Fair.
Related Reading:
Sen. McConnell Reminds Retirees What They Have to Lose in November.
In fact, tax expenditures – especially the Trump/GOP tax cuts – are the number one drivers of the debt, not Social Security or Medicare. Social Security is self-funded and does not contribute to the debt.
Boomers are crowding the retirement turnstiles just as safety nets may get a haircut from a Republican Congress fixated on an Obamacare repeal that could whack Medicare and Medicaid. And although President-elect Trump has defended entitlements, a key advisor once called for privatizing Social Security.
Donald Trump’s supposed commitment to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is one of the positions said to set him apart from Republican orthodoxy, which has the knives out for all such programs…
…Among Trump’s top advisors are two men who have campaigned for years in favor of privatizing or otherwise cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and disability benefits. They’ve often done so while showing a lack of understanding about these programs or the consequences of their proposals.
via Los Angeles Times.
Related Reading:
- Trump Campaign Admits They’re Open to “Entitlement Changes”.
- In other words, candidate Trump will continue to promise no cuts to
Social Security and Medicare on the campaign trail. However, President
Trump clearly has a very different plan
- Trump 2.0 on Social Security.
- Simply put, the
differences between Presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2000 and
candidate Donald Trump in 2016 are h-u-u-u-g-e.
Investment in home and community-based care is popular and must be included in #infrastructure. Now it’s up to Congress to get it done. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/opinion/elder-care-congress.html #HCBS @nytimes