GOP divisions over Social Security, Medicare cuts forecast tough fights ahead

[mystery-ak]

 GOP divisions over Social Security, Medicare cuts forecast tough fights ahead
by Nathaniel Weixel and Mike Lillis - 01/12/23 6:00 AM ET

House Republicans are divided over cuts to Medicare and Social Security, setting up what could be a fierce internal clash over the future of the nation’s top safety net programs when Congress delves into budget fights later in the year.  

Entitlements have long been a political third rail, but some in the GOP say everything is on the table and are eager to use upcoming debt ceiling negotiations to extract promises to reduce government spending, including entitlement funding.

That could pit the GOP’s staunchest deficit hawks against other conservatives who insist Medicare and Social Security will be left alone and the cuts will come from elsewhere. 

With a narrow GOP majority, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) can lose only four votes on any bill, and will have to find a way to placate the lawmakers calling for hard cuts.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the conservative leaders who extracted a promise from McCarthy to limit new discretionary spending, insisted entitlements are safe.

“It took approximately .2 seconds for everybody to be saying, ‘You’re gonna slaughter defense … You’re gonna hurt Social Security and Medicare.’ Everybody calm down,” Roy said in an interview with conservative radio host Jesse Kelly. 

“What we have been very clear about is, we’re not going to touch the benefits that are going to people relying on the benefits under Social Security and Medicare,” he said Sunday on CNN’s ‘State of the Union.’

The official rules package Republicans passed earlier this week calls for equal or greater cuts in mandatory spending to offset any new spending, but it did not specify where those cuts needed to come from. 

more
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3809592-gop-divisions-over-social-security-medicare-cuts-forecast-tough-fights-ahead/

[jafo2010]

Obama/Biden took $660 out of my pocket per month for Social Security when Obama was POTUS.  With their change from five highest years income to a formula of 35 years, that change cost me the above.

If Republicans attempt to take away anything from SSI recipients, they won't get elected again.  Frankly, I am tired of hearing SSI being referred to as entitlements.  SSI was funded by payments made by the workforce across America, and the thieving politicians in Washington have stolen that money ever since 1984 to spend as they will.  If we had any honest politicians in Washington, this nonsense would have been reversed.

If you will recall, Bob Dole ran for POTUS on the basis of having FIXED SSI.  Now we are being told it blows up in a few years, and get ready for a 25% cut in SSI.  Any cuts and the senior population will vote these *sshats out of office.  I fully support NOT paying benefits to folks that have not paid into the system.  We have illegal aliens/refugee status individuals receiving dollars greater than SSI recipients, and we always have an endless supply of dollars for these people.  Tired of that nonsense. 

When will the American people be considered?  I have lost $660 per month for the rest of my life and the increases that come with that annually.  This is wrong.  The Democommies are the ones that have cheated the baby boom generation out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in SSI per individual.  I am so sick of hearing the Republicans are the ones wanting to take away benefits when it is the Dems that have cheated me out of $660/month.  All these thieves in Washington are looking to line their pockets while cheating the American people and I am so tired of it.

[Kamaji]

Obama/Biden took $660 out of my pocket per month for Social Security when Obama was POTUS.  With their change from five highest years income to a formula of 35 years, that change cost me the above.

If Republicans attempt to take away anything from SSI recipients, they won't get elected again.  Frankly, I am tired of hearing SSI being referred to as entitlements.  SSI was funded by payments made by the workforce across America, and the thieving politicians in Washington have stolen that money ever since 1984 to spend as they will.  If we had any honest politicians in Washington, this nonsense would have been reversed.

If you will recall, Bob Dole ran for POTUS on the basis of having FIXED SSI.  Now we are being told it blows up in a few years, and get ready for a 25% cut in SSI.  Any cuts and the senior population will vote these *sshats out of office.  I fully support NOT paying benefits to folks that have not paid into the system.  We have illegal aliens/refugee status individuals receiving dollars greater than SSI recipients, and we always have an endless supply of dollars for these people.  Tired of that nonsense. 

When will the American people be considered?  I have lost $660 per month for the rest of my life and the increases that come with that annually.  This is wrong.  The Democommies are the ones that have cheated the baby boom generation out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in SSI per individual.  I am so sick of hearing the Republicans are the ones wanting to take away benefits when it is the Dems that have cheated me out of $660/month.  All these thieves in Washington are looking to line their pockets while cheating the American people and I am so tired of it.

You may be tired of hearing that SSI is an entitlement, but that is precisely what it is.  Your part was paying an additional income tax on your wages to fund the entitlement benefits for earlier retirees, not to fund some sort of an annuity or retirement account for yourself.

[catfish1957]

Obama/Biden took $660 out of my pocket per month for Social Security when Obama was POTUS.  With their change from five highest years income to a formula of 35 years, that change cost me the above.

If Republicans attempt to take away anything from SSI recipients, they won't get elected again.  Frankly, I am tired of hearing SSI being referred to as entitlements.  SSI was funded by payments made by the workforce across America, and the thieving politicians in Washington have stolen that money ever since 1984 to spend as they will.  If we had any honest politicians in Washington, this nonsense would have been reversed.

If you will recall, Bob Dole ran for POTUS on the basis of having FIXED SSI.  Now we are being told it blows up in a few years, and get ready for a 25% cut in SSI.  Any cuts and the senior population will vote these *sshats out of office.  I fully support NOT paying benefits to folks that have not paid into the system.  We have illegal aliens/refugee status individuals receiving dollars greater than SSI recipients, and we always have an endless supply of dollars for these people.  Tired of that nonsense. 

When will the American people be considered?  I have lost $660 per month for the rest of my life and the increases that come with that annually.  This is wrong.  The Democommies are the ones that have cheated the baby boom generation out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in SSI per individual.  I am so sick of hearing the Republicans are the ones wanting to take away benefits when it is the Dems that have cheated me out of $660/month.  All these thieves in Washington are looking to line their pockets while cheating the American people and I am so tired of it.

I retired at 55, so they put the screws to me too.  Haven't put the calculator to this fiasco, but I only maxed out 25 or my 37 years of work history.  So I am guessing the damage is pretty substantial.  I guess pushing my benefit age back to 66 1/2 wasn't enough of a middle finger.

[catfish1957]

You may be tired of hearing that SSI is an entitlement, but that is precisely what it is.  Your part was paying an additional income tax on your wages to fund the entitlement benefits for earlier retirees, not to fund some sort of an annuity or retirement account for yourself.

And the fact that 75% is taxable again once you get the benefit  Which pretty much a tax on something that has already been taxed.

In my case, I am going to just withhold it all as income tax deduction on other stuff, just to make a statement.

And don't get me started on the IRMAA shit and basic medicare (prior to supplements) costing well over $10K a year for us.  Government benefits, my ass.

[Bigun]

Our Marxist inspired income tax system is pure evil! We should be taxed on what we consume not what we earn!

[jafo2010]

I am waiting to 70 to start collecting assuming I will live long into my 80s.  It's a gamble.  I turn 70 this year in September, so my first payment will be October.  It will make my life easier, but I will end up owing the IRS a big pot of taxes each year.  Tired of getting taxed to death each year.

And it bothers me that 58% of America pays zero income tax.  The inequity in our tax policies bothers me as well.  MY wife has a friend living in a million dollar home, has a cash income equal to my wife, of which she declares about 15% of it, is on Obamacare paying $20 per month in premium when we pay $500 per month.  She tools around in a new BMW, and she is gaming the system paying no taxes.  And I know an architect making a six figure income who has NEVER filed a return with the IRS.  NEVER FILED HIS ENTIRE LIFE!

This is why I fully support the creation of a FAIR TAX and the ending of the Income Tax, or greatly scaling back income taxes.

[catfish1957]

And it bothers me that 58% of America pays zero income tax.  The inequity in our tax policies bothers me as well.  MY wife has a friend living in a million dollar home, has a cash income equal to my wife, of which she declares about 15% of it, is on Obamacare paying $20 per month in premium when we pay $500 per month.  She tools around in a new BMW, and she is gaming the system paying no taxes.  And I know an architect making a six figure income who has NEVER filed a return with the IRS.  NEVER FILED HIS ENTIRE LIFE!

This is why I fully support the creation of a FAIR TAX and the ending of the Income Tax, or greatly scaling back income taxes.

I'm approaching paying the IRS $1.8M in my life.  The fact that the little bit I am getting back has basically been swallowed by my forcing to subsidize Medicare, and double taxation of my future SSI?

Bigun nailed it 100%. What our government has done to people who people who choose to work and succeed is ulterly evil. 

I hope Galt's Gulch is much nicer in the near future.

[LMAO]

Your part was paying an additional income tax on your wages to fund the entitlement benefits for earlier retirees, not to fund some sort of an annuity or retirement account for yourself.

[/b]

You'd be surprised how many people believe the bolded part. In fact, so do many conservatives

[Fishrrman]

"Entitlements have long been a political third rail, but some in the GOP say everything is on the table and are eager to use upcoming debt ceiling negotiations to extract promises to reduce government spending, including entitlement funding."

They just can't help themselves, can they...?

[Kamaji]

[/b]

You'd be surprised how many people believe the bolded part. In fact, so do many conservatives

Doesn't surprise me in the least how many people believe that.  Mainly that's because that was the lie that was told back in the 1930s to make the social security taxes palatable.  Way too many people drank the kool-aid on that one.

[Smokin Joe]

You may be tired of hearing that SSI is an entitlement, but that is precisely what it is.  Your part was paying an additional income tax on your wages to fund the entitlement benefits for earlier retirees, not to fund some sort of an annuity or retirement account for yourself.

That may be, but that is no why I have been paying into that system for the last 52 years, because that is not what we were told the money was for. I didn't guy savings bonds to pay for the last guy to cash his in and be left with bupkis, either.

If I paid for it, quit treating it like welfare or Medicaid (which has better benefits), because I have been paying for that better coverage for people who aren't chipping in.

And don't even get me started on illegals being given gobs of freebies, either.

[Hoodat]

One either supports government-run ponzi schemes or one does not support government-run ponzi schemes.

[bilo]

One either supports government-run ponzi schemes or one does not support government-run ponzi schemes.

Netflix has a good docuseries running on Madoff. If people believe govt. ponzi schemes won't collapse the way private sector ponzi schemes collapse they will be in for a big surprise. All you have to do is look at countries in population decline to see what happens, the benefits become worthless.

[Kamaji]

That may be, but that is no why I have been paying into that system for the last 52 years, because that is not what we were told the money was for. I didn't guy savings bonds to pay for the last guy to cash his in and be left with bupkis, either.

If I paid for it, quit treating it like welfare or Medicaid (which has better benefits), because I have been paying for that better coverage for people who aren't chipping in.

And don't even get me started on illegals being given gobs of freebies, either.

Sorry you don't like to hear the truth - and equally sorry that you continue to buy the lies you were fed - but you didn't pay for jack squat.  You paid an additional income tax, nothing more, nothing less, and you have no greater claim to those funds than you have to the regular income taxes you paid as well.

Social security is nothing more than a welfare entitlement.  One I happen to agree with, in general, as a matter of policy, but a welfare entitlement nonetheless.

What it most definitely is not is a vested benefit you paid for, as if you were purchasing on an installment plan a retirement annuity.

[Hoodat]

Social security is nothing more than a welfare entitlement.  One I happen to agree with, in general, as a matter of policy, but a welfare entitlement nonetheless.

What it most definitely is not is a vested benefit you paid for, as if you were purchasing on an installment plan a retirement annuity.

That is the blunt truth of it, no matter how painful it may be to audience members.

[Hoodat]

Netflix has a good docuseries running on Madoff.

I hope it pointed out the fault of the investors themselves.  Madoff investors had an expectation that Madoff had inside information.  In other words, they gave him their money because they thought he was breaking the law.  Well, he was.

[catfish1957]

I hope it pointed out the fault of the investors themselves.  Madoff investors had an expectation that Madoff had inside information.  In other words, they gave him their money because they thought he was breaking the law.  Well, he was.

So damned true.  Everything I invest in goes through the ringer of research.

And equity, fund, etc. 's  (entity) self governance, review, and oversight should be the first item of review.

[cato potatoe]

Social Security could have been a relatively harmless social safety net.  Benefits originally were limited to those who had exceeded their life expectancy (age 62 in 1937).  And so, the tax was only 1% from 1937-1950.  It gradually became an irreversible nightmare Ponzi scheme. 

[Kamaji]

Social Security could have been a relatively harmless social safety net.  Benefits originally were limited to those who had exceeded their life expectancy (age 62 in 1937).  And so, the tax was only 1% from 1937-1950.  It gradually became an irreversible nightmare Ponzi scheme. 

Agreed.  And it still could be; unfortunately, bringing it back to its origins would entail a lot of political pain and the expenditure of a lot of political capital.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Stephen Miller
@StephenM

To my Republican friends: the only proposal you should be considering on Social Security & Medicare is ending mass unskilled migration in order to protect these programs for American Seniors who paid into them and depend on them. Ryanism is on the ash heap—leave it there forever.

8:22 PM · Jan 12, 2023

[Hoodat]

I retired at 55, so they put the screws to me too.

On the flip side, I'll be working until I am 75.

[Hoodat]

Social Security would be in a much better position if they stopped handing out Social Security benefits to people below retirement age.  This accounts for 30% of total Social Security outlays.

[Kamaji]

Social Security would be in a much better position if they stopped handing out Social Security benefits to people below retirement age.  This accounts for 30% of total Social Security outlays.

It could also be means tested.

[Hoodat]

Agreed.  And it still could be; unfortunately, bringing it back to its origins would entail a lot of political pain and the expenditure of a lot of political capital.

To his credit, GWB pushed for this in 2006, just not very hard.  But the cowardly Republican Congress folded like a 7-high hand.