Today, House Republicans released their desired 2024 budget that includes massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare, despite months of promising not to touch the retirement programs millions of Americans depend on.
In a “statement of priorities” around-three quarters of House Republicans — including 2024 Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls Lisa McClain (R-MI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Alex Mooney (R-WV), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT) — argued for raising the age of retirement and proposed “requiring disabled Americans to wait longer before getting benefits and turning Medicare into a ‘premium support’ system.”
“House Republicans and 2024 Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls have once again put forth a proposal to significantly reduce the funding and benefits of Social Security and Medicare,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Aidan Johnson. “In the lead up to crowded and costly Republican primaries in key swing states, candidates are emphasizing their commitment to slashing these vital programs as they compete to gain support from the extreme MAGA base.”
The New Republic: Republicans Are Bringing Back Their Plan to Gut Social Security and Medicare
By Prem Thakker | June 15, 2023
Key Points:
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“Republicans have claimed over and over again that they are not trying to cut Social Security and Medicare. Heck, Joe Biden got them to agree they would not make cuts to the programs, in a memorable verbal maneuver during his State of the Union speech earlier this year.”
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“And yet the Republican Study Committee (of which some three-quarters of House Republicans are members) just released its desired 2024 budget, in which the party seeks to, you guessed it, cut Social Security and Medicare.”
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“And note their seriousness. ‘The RSC Budget is more than just a financial statement. It is a statement of priorities,’ the party assures in the document, released Wednesday.”
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“The proposed budget would effectively make cuts to Social Security by increasing the retirement age for future retirees. The document seeks to assure people that there would only be ‘modest adjustments’ but does not list what Republicans think the new retirement age should be.”
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“On Medicare, Republicans propose requiring disabled Americans to wait longer before getting benefits and turning Medicare into a ‘premium support’ system, a long-floated Republican idea that essentially turns the government program into a voucher scheme. Such a scheme would remove the guarantee for seniors to have affordable access to Medicare.”
Read the full report here.
Published: Jun 15, 2023 | Last Modified: Feb 1, 2024