(ConservativeHub.com) – Republican leaders have promised to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits during any upcoming cuts in spending. However, despite these promises, the Democrats have indicated they’re not convinced that the GOP will not try to cut these programs.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) explicitly stated that both of these entitlement programs were “off the table” during the spending cut discussions that are part of negotiations for increasing the debt ceiling. A number of other Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell, have also publicly stated the party had no plans to cut Social Security or Medicare.
However, some Democrats don’t seem to believe the other side is being truthful. According to The Hill, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said that he did not trust the Republicans, claiming that they’ve been targeting social security “since the 1930s.” Meanwhile, the outlet stated in a different article that a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Republicans of trying to “lie” about their plans and promised to hold them accountable.
The liberals have defended the entitlement programs repeatedly while Republicans push for the federal budget to be balanced within the next decade, The Hill reports. However, this isn’t feasible if entitlement benefits, the Pentagon, taxes, or all three are not touched.
President Biden has vowed to protect Social Security and Medicare and to block any attempts at cutting these programs. This is during a time when he is just starting negotiations with McCarthy.
Democrats have always opposed any cuts in Medicare and Social Security, which were proposed by former President Obama over a decade ago. At the time, the cuts had been part of an unsuccessful “grand bargain” with then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). If Biden attempts to reach a similar deal, he could face a lot of backlash, according to The Hill. However, there’s no suggestion at this point that Biden will follow that route.
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