Rep. Lou Barletta took to local radio this week to double down on his desire to cut Social Security and Medicare—lifelines that millions of Americans depend on and have paid into their whole lives–and balance the country’s debt on the backs of the middle class.
In an interview he did on on KDKA radio yesterday, Barletta said, “We need to look at entitlement packages and reform. They’re on auto pilot right now, where that’s really what’s driving our debt and they’ve been unwilling to have a discussion about that…”
Listen to the clip here.
“Entitlements,” of course is code for Social Security and Medicare, the hugely popular benefits that Americans have earned, and that middle class families and seniors depend on. They are also not the main cause of our national debt.
Meanwhile, a little more than a month ago, Barletta voted for huge tax giveaways to millionaires, billionaires and corporations that added $1.8 trillion to the country’s debt.
“Lou Barletta’s claims to be concerned about our debt are the height of hypocrisy,” said American Bridge spokesperson Allison Teixeira Sulier. “Here’s the truth: Lou Barletta wants to raid the Social Security and Medicare our seniors count on to pay for his tax cuts for big corporations.”
There are 2.5 million Pennsylvanians who count on Medicare and more than 2.7 million Pennsylvanians who rely on Social Security.
Besides his comments this week, Barletta has voted for a spending plan that would mean deep cuts to Social Security and Medicare. He’s also repeatedly voted to raise the eligibility age for Medicare, and to turn it into a voucher system, both of which would skyrocket health care costs for seniors.
Published: Feb 9, 2018