by Mary Savage
You’re driving down a long stretch of road and see a sign that warns: “DANGER. BRIDGE OUT AHEAD!” Are you going to just keep on driving and hope for the best? Of course not! But have you missed the warning signs about Republican cuts to Social Security and Medicare — your earned benefits?
In a tragic turn of events this past November and in spite of many Democratic Party successes, Republicans won a majority of seats in the U.S. House and Senate and won the presidency. Now, many of these seemingly lost souls from the Dark Side have publicly and brazenly announced their intent on cutting Social Security and Medicare, programs senior citizens, the disabled and others depend on and have paid into all their working lives, among other malign and dangerous schemes.
Republicans continue to say Social Security is a target for deficit reduction even though Social Security adds nothing to the debt.
The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans reports that a growing number of Republican lawmakers are calling for Congress to cut Social Security and Medicare in 2025.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) said cuts are “on the way” and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) restated previous calls to dismantle Social Security in a thread post on X, which Elon Musk, who many call “the real U.S. president,” promptly retweeted.
Even more alarming is the unelected Musk who chairs the dystopian sounding Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, committee. Musk’s stated goal is to slash one-third of government spending, which means budget cuts would be in the TRILLIONS of dollars! This is essentially impossible to do without cutting Social Security, Medicare and other vital programs.
Another unelected Trump appointee to DOGE is Vivek Ramaswamy, who has lamented the failure of George W. Bush’s Social Security privatization scheme.
Today, a younger generation is being led astray with the idea of privatization — the syphoning of a portion of a worker’s FICA tax to a private account, which would undermine Social Security’s original intent and add Wall Street risks to benefits that now are secure in the Social Security system. Thankfully, some in Congress are speaking up.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) recently declared from the House podium in Washington, D.C., that House Democrats will fight to protect working class Americans “and the things that matter to them, not the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected. Keep your hands off Social Security and Medicare!”
The watchdog organization Social Security Works has pledged to publicly amplify the breach of faith of any member of Congress who supports cuts.
We at the grassroots should take an “I’ll believe it when I see it” mindset until Congress passes real legislation that truly protects our earned benefits.
For example, the Social Security 2100 Act, introduced by Rep. John Larson (D-CT), should be passed and signed into law. This legislation calls for fair and common-sense enhancements, such as raising the wage cap, which would make the Social Security Trust Fund solvent through the 21st century.
While the recent repeal of the WEP & GPO penalties on Social Security benefits for certain public sector workers is a positive step, more needs to be done. With Republicans controlling all three branches of government for the immediate future, we all have to join together and commit to the fight.
Time is of the essence. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports that nearly 1 in 4 people experiencing homelessness (living in places not meant for human habitation) are over the age of 55. Homelessness among the elderly is expected to nearly triple by 2030. Florida especially is where the elderly homelessness population has dramatically increased because of outrageous rent and insurance hikes, runaway inflation and a deregulated system that bends the knee to “The Market.”
So, make it a habit to monitor your elected officials’ views on Social Security and Medicare. Let them know you want them to protect our earned benefits and not privatize any part of them. Remember: The next round of major elections is only two years away. Don’t wait. Heed the warning signs and speak up today.