January 17, 2023
House GOP plans to cut Social Security and Medicare move forward
Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) saying last Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Republicans do not plan to alter benefits for current Social Security and Medicare recipients.
Yet at least 127 members of the House Republican Study Committee have released a budget for fiscal year 2023 that will increase eligibility ages for Social Security and Medicare, and reduce benefits for people age 54 and younger to change the Social Security benefit formula.
In addition, many members of the House Freedom Caucus demanded that Kevin McCarthy pledge to use the debt ceiling vote to force President Biden and the Democrats to agree to slashing Social Security and Medicare in exchange for voting him for president.
House Democratic Leader Katherine Clark (MA) saying that the GOP plans to use the debt limit to force cuts in Social Security and Medicare shows that “the keys have been handed over to the extremists.” He added that the threats amount to “taking our seniors hostage.”
The GOP plans come despite a recent CBS/YouGov News survey showing that 71% of Americans believe that protecting Social Security and Medicare should be a high priority for the new Congress.
“House Republicans are making dangerous and unreasonable demands,” said Robert Roach, Jr., president of the Alliance. “We must not allow them to use the profits we earn as bargaining chips.”
