McConnell Again Threatens Cuts: To Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and More

Source: — Compiled by Peter G. Peterson Foundation

GOP's Platform for Deficit Reduction

(Soc.Sec., Medicare, Medicaid, et al)

Leave it up the GOP solve budget and deficit and spending problems, right? Yeah, like returning to old stomping grounds: Blame and then cut entitlement programs (i.e., Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid – the biggies for them).

After instituting a $1.5 trillion tax cut and signing off on a $675 billion budget for DOD Sen. GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said recently that the only way to lower the record-high federal deficit would be to cut entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and more).

Key Points from Business Insider and NEWSWEEK via MSN.

·        On October 16, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called on Congress to rein in government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to slow America's increasing national debt and thus cut the blooming deficit.

·        He called the debt disturbing, and said it's driven by those three entitlement programs (he didn’t mention the tax cut that the Congress passed that has contributed to the debt increase).

·        The nonpartisan CBO projects that the GOP tax cuts would add $1.9 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

McConnell further says: “It’s disappointing but it’s not a Republican problem.”

My 2 cents – oops note for old Mitch: The deficit grew 17% to $779 billion in 2018 and he still says: “It’s a bipartisan problem: The unwillingness to address the real drivers of the debt by doing anything to adjust those programs to the demographics of America in the future.” 

Further note that under Mitch: The deficit has increased some 77% percent since you became the Senate GOP majority leader in 2015 and pushed this historical GOP-geared tax cut for the top. 

Now he and apparently along with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) both say the only way to reduce the gigantic deficit is entitlement reform, i.e., scale back and cut entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

(Psst Mitch: The GI bill and VA care are also entitlement programs for the disabled and extremely handicapped Vets – so cut them, too, um?).

Just don’t take any responsibility right Mr. and Mrs. GOP for that huge tax cut – that BTW favored the top 1-5% of richest in the country along with giant Corporations – and your big donors, too. 

NOTE: No DEMS voted for that gigantic tax cut – and in fact many warned of the exploding deficit – which is now in our collective face.

Now, based on what McConnell and others have said, I suspect for people like me who worked for 44 years and paid into SS and Medicare faithfully – now you want us to give that up and pay your mess?

So, do DEMS now have a tremendous issue? “You betcha they do…!!!”

Thanks for stopping by.