Why did only one Republican vote against Medicare?
Though Republicans supported it, no Democrat in Congress would agree and the balance was such the Republicans had to convince at least one Senator to switch sides. When Medicare was first being considered Senate Republican Robert Dole (then in the House) voted against it.
Are Republicans'plotting to take away'Medicare and Medicaid?
Wyden said, "Republicans in Congress are plotting to take away Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security." Some key Republicans, including Ryan, have long argued in favor of overhauling entitlement programs such as these by reducing the amount of money spent on them.
Is this a Republican game plan to destroy Social Security and Medicare?
Unnoticed by most was an additional provision, which is one part of the Republican game plan to destroy Social Security and Medicare.
Will Senate Republicans Sunset Social Security and Medicare if they win?
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell flatly said that, if the Republicans win control of the Senate, sunsetting Social Security and Medicare “would not be a part of our agenda.”
Why didn't McConnell say entitlement reforms?
22, 2017, that he does not plan to bring up entitlement reforms in the current environment due to a lack of bipartisan agreement on the sensitive issue.
What is the first piece of evidence undercutting the tweet's message?
The first piece of evidence undercutting the tweet’s message is actually linked in the tweet itself. An accompanying Senate Democratic press release, dated March 27, starts by saying, "It’s only been a few months since Republicans jammed through their massive giveaway to corporate executives and wealthy shareholders.
Did Wyden say Republicans are taking away Medicare?
Wyden said, "Republicans in Congress are plotting to take away Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.". Some key Republicans, including Ryan, have long argued in favor of overhauling entitlement programs such as these by reducing the amount of money spent on them. However, no Republican proposal has been made to "take away" any ...
When did Ryan say the House passed the biggest entitlement reform bill?
The release quotes Ryan at a subsequent press conference on March 20, 2018, saying, "The House passed the biggest entitlement reform bill Congress has ever considered last year, and regrettably the Senate did not follow suit. So we’re just going to have to keep at it on entitlements.".
Is a cutback the same as elimination?
Cutbacks aren’t the same as elimination. However, none of the proposals being weighed by Republican lawmakers would eliminate the programs. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., does not share Ryan's zeal for taking up entitlement changes.
What are the Republicans' obsessions with Medicare?
The Republican Obsession With Dismantling Social Security And Medicare. Today’s Republicans want to avoid political accountability by destroying Social Security and Medicare without leaving clear fingerprints. The Republicans are desperate to destroy Social Security and Medicare. These two programs demonstrate government at its best.
Why does Medicare not go through the appropriations process?
Social Security — the people’s pension — and Medicare — the first step toward universal health insurance for all — do not go through the appropriations process because, as monthly pension payments and medical insurance, they must pay what is owed, not what Congress chooses to spend. If Social Security and Medicare were subject to the whims ...
What was the first action that House Republicans took in the new Congress?
So obsessed are the Republicans in their desire to eliminate these effective government programs that the very first action that House Republicans took in the new Congress was to adopt a rules package that included a new rule that amounts to a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare. Advertisement.
What are the two programs that Republicans want to destroy?
The Republicans are desperate to destroy Social Security and Medicare. These two programs demonstrate government at its best. The federal government runs these two extremely popular programs more efficiently, universally, securely, and effectively than the private sector does with its alternatives — or indeed could, ...
Should Democrats challenge Republicans?
Furthermore, Democrats should challenge Republicans when they claim the programs are in need of “saving.”. Republican claims that they are simply seeking to save Social Security and Medicare is the same Orwellian language used during the Vietnam War, when a military officer claimed that a village had to be destroyed in order to save it.
Do Medicare and Social Security need to be fixed?
The reality is that Social Security and Medicare don’t need fixing. They can and should be expanded, but they work fine, having stood the test of time. And, most assuredly, neither Social Security nor Medicare need saving.
Do Republican politicians want to destroy Medicare?
Republican politicians understand how popular Social Security and Medicare are. Yet they desperately want to destroy the programs, which put the lie to their anti-government agenda by illustrating clearly that there are some tasks that government does much better then the private sector.
Why does McConnell say there needs to be a bipartisan solution?
That’s why McConnell says there needs to be a bipartisan solution. Whitehouse would have been on more solid ground if he had protested that a mostly partisan tax bill had made the deficit problem worse and made it harder to grapple with baby-boomer retirements.
What is the Pinocchio test?
The Pinocchio Test. There are a number of ways a Democrat could frame the debate over the debt and entitlements, such as complaining that Republicans who did not blink twice about increasing the deficit with a tax cut have little ground to say that the deficit is caused mostly by popular entitlement programs.
What did Whitehouse say in his ad?
Whitehouse, in his ad, starts to go down that road but then goes off course by twisting McConnell’s statement into the unsupported claim that Republicans have said that because of the deficits, “they have got to get rid of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”. Advertisement.
How much was the deficit in 2018?
Democrats have seized on recent comments by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in a round of media interviews after the Treasury Department reported that the federal budget deficit increased 17 percent year over year, to $779 billion in fiscal 2018.
What was the national debt after Clinton?
After Clinton left office, Bush pushed through a giant tax cut — and the budget deficits reemerged. The national debt held by the public is now nearly $15.7 trillion — and the tax cut will only increase that total. The deficit is expected to climb to $973 billion in the current fiscal year, according to the CBO.
What was the last time the unemployment rate was below 4 percent?
The last time the U.S. unemployment rate was below 4 percent— when the economy was booming under Bill Clinton and the government was running a budget surplus — Clinton was able to blunt Republican demands for a tax cut with the mantra of “Save Social Security First.”.
Did McConnell say Republicans hoped to cut programs?
That’s not what McConnell said. In fact, he did not even say the Republicans hoped to cut those programs. He said changes would happen only if both parties worked together to overhaul the programs, which are under financial stress because of the retirement of the baby-boom generation. Advertisement.
Why did McConnell say the Republicans would defend the tax cuts?
This poll was taken a week after Senator McConnell said the Republicans would defend the tax cuts and cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to curb the growing deficit, caused in significant part by those very tax cuts. The Republican Party has always been associated with opposition to Social Security.
What percentage of Americans would prefer to reverse the Republican tax cuts?
A poll one week before the election about Republican social and economic policy is a red flag for Republicans. 60% of Americans would prefer to reverse the Republican 2017 tax cuts than cut spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
What would happen if Social Security was passed?
A representative of the Illinois manufacturers testified that if Social Security was passed it would undermine America by “destroying initiative, discouraging thrift, and stifling individual responsibility.”. In 1935, Republican congressman John Taber said Social Security “is designed to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers, ...
What is the most popular program in America?
Social Security is the most popular program in America, especially among the voters who are growing the fastest. Social Security is the most popular program in America, especially among the voters who are growing the fastest. Share to Facebook. Share to Twitter. Share to Linkedin.
Did McConnell tell the electorate that Medicare and Social Security were high on the Republican agenda?
It seems Senator McConnell, usually careful not to rock the boat before the upcoming midterm elections, did not set out to tell the electorate that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts were high on the Republican agenda.
Which party is opposed to Social Security?
The Republican Party has always been associated with opposition to Social Security. Economic historian Max Skidmore shows that the final vote for Social Security was lopsided--only 2% of Democrats voted against it (because it wasn't generous enough) while 33% of Republicans voted against Social Security.
Is Social Security a fiscal discipline?
Social Security is one of the few government programs with built-in fiscal discipline. Bottom Line: Though Senator McConnell may not have meant to publicize the Republican agenda to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the long history of Republican opposition may be an example of what Sigmund Freud and modern psychologists believe--a slip ...
What are the temporary fiscal interventions of 2020 and 2021?
The temporary fiscal interventions of 2020 and 2021, which the senators opposed, provide a much higher bang for the buck than the long-term budget busting trickle-down tax cuts of 2017, which many supported.
What was Donald Trump's signature legislative achievement?
Donald Trump’s signature legislative achievement was the Tac Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It showered trillions of dollars on highly profitable corporations and the richest American households that had seen the largest economic gains in the wake of the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009. Moreover, many provisions of this tax legislation are now permanent fixtures of the tax code and many temporary ones, such as tax cuts for high-income earners will likely become permanent, if past supply-side tax cuts are any indication.
What are the immediate benefits of a tax increase?
The immediate benefits are less inequality and better health outcomes, both of which ultimately support stronger economic growth. Improving revenues for these programs by, for example, increasing payroll taxes on the top income earners will ultimately result in stronger growth and shrinking federal deficits.
Did the Republican senators push for Medicare and Social Security?
Republican Senators Push Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid Cuts After Supporting Ineffective Tax Cuts. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The economy is recovering from the depths of the pandemic in large part due to the massive relief packages that Congress passed in 2020 and 2021.
Is the Cares Act a temporary measure?
The pandemic-related deficits are mainly temporary. Congress enacted the CARES Act in March 2020, which offered temporary relief main ly to families, unemployed workers and closed business.
When did the American Rescue Plan expire?
Most of its provisions expired in the second half of 2020. The newly elected Congress then enacted the American Rescue Plan in March 2021. It supports people, businesses and state and local governments with substantial yet temporary financial relief.
Does the Cares Act help the economy?
In contrast, the CARES Act offered much needed relief amid the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression, while it helped to stem the tide on declining economic growth. And experts predict that ARPA will boost economic growth to its highest rate in decades.
