[ "The largest group of House Republicans just released a budget
that calls for massive tax cuts for the super-rich and raising the
Social Security retirement age, a benefit cut for millions of
Americans."]
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GOP WANTS TO DESTROY SOCIAL SECURITY AS WE KNOW IT  
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Jake Johnson
June 15, 2023
Common Dreams
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_ "The largest group of House Republicans just released a budget that
calls for massive tax cuts for the super-rich and raising the Social
Security retirement age, a benefit cut for millions of Americans." _

Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), right, and Bob Good (R-Va.) arrive for a
news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 17, 2023. , Tom
Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images

 

A panel comprised of three-quarters of the House Republican caucus
released a budget proposal on Wednesday that would raise the Social
Security retirement age—cutting benefits across the board
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further privatizing Medicare and slashing taxes for the rich, a plan
that Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocacy groups said is a
clear statement of the GOP's warped priorities ahead of a critical
spending fight
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this fall.

The proposal
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outlined by the 175-member
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Committee (RSC), led by Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), would gradually
raise Social Security's full retirement age—the age at which people
are eligible for full Social Security benefits—to 69
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up from the current level of 67
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for those born in 1960 or later.

Nancy Altman, the president of Social Security Works
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the RSC budget would "destroy Social Security as we know it," using a
"modest shortfall" that's more than a decade away
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to justify reducing benefits for millions.

"These changes would transform Social Security from an earned
insurance benefit, which replaces wages lost in the event of old age,
disability, or death, into a subsistence-level welfare benefit," said
Altman, who noted that the RSC "rules out any options for raising
revenue, such as requiring billionaires to contribute even a penny
more."

Currently, just the first $160,200 of wage earnings are subject to
Social Security's payroll tax, allowing the rich to stop contributing
to the program early each year
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The GOP's refusal to force the wealthy to put more of their income
into the program "leaves benefit cuts as the only 'solution,'" said
Altman.

"In other words, they want to cut benefits now to avoid cutting them
later, which isn't a solution at all. Indeed, the budget will increase
the number of workers who will have no ability to retire while
maintaining their standard of living," she added. "The RSC plan would
make it especially hard for Americans so disabled that they can no
longer work to claim their earned Social Security, and far easier for
the government to take those benefits away."

Far from raising taxes on the rich, the RSC budget calls for massive
tax cuts by proposing a permanent extension of the individual tax
provisions of the 2017 Trump-GOP tax law. The Congressional Budget
Office has estimated
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such a move would add $2.5 trillion to the federal deficit over the
next decade.

"The largest group of House Republicans just released a budget that
calls for massive tax cuts for the super-rich and raising the Social
Security retirement age, a benefit cut for millions of Americans,"
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), a member of the House's chief tax-writing
committee, wrote on Twitter.

The RSC budget also targets Medicare with a "premium support model"
that would subsidize private insurance plans, effectively transforming
Medicare into a voucher program
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idea previously advanced by former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

Altman pointed out that the plan contains a "particularly cruel
provision" that "would force disability beneficiaries to wait five
long years (instead of the current two, which is already too long)
before becoming eligible for Medicare benefits."

"Outrageously, this change would deprive some of the most medically
vulnerable people in America of healthcare," said Altman. "This
provision alone would inevitably lead to more medical bankruptcies and
increased homelessness."

The GOP proposal also demands work requirements for "all federal
benefit programs" and sides with the pharmaceutical industry
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in calling for a repeal of Inflation Reduction Act provisions
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aimed at lowering prescription drug costs.

"The ink is barely dry on the Bipartisan Budget Agreement and House
Republicans are already reneging on the deal and undercutting their
own speaker," Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the
House Budget Committee, said in a statement, referring to the recently
approved debt ceiling measure
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that sets topline spending levels.

"What's worse, Republicans are attempting to renege on our sacred
promise to American workers and seniors by renewing their attacks on
Social Security and Medicare," said Boyle. "It is astounding that the
overwhelming majority of House Republicans support this backwards and
extreme budget, but, after they manufactured a default crisis to try
to force cruel cuts, I guess we shouldn't be shocked."

"Budget Committee Democrats will make sure every American family knows
that House Republicans want to force Americans to work longer for
less, raise families' costs, weaken our nation, and shrink our
economy—all while wasting billions of dollars on more favors to
special interests and handouts to the ultra-wealthy," Boyle added.

While House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is not a member of the
RSC, he has also signaled plans
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to pursue cuts to Social Security in the coming months by setting up a
bipartisan "commission" that would propose changes to the program.

"Republicans know how politically toxic their plans to gut Social
Security and Medicare are, so they are begging Democrats to share the
blame," Altman said Wednesday. "Not a single Democrat should take the
bait. Instead, they should fight to protect and expand Social Security
and Medicare, and pay for it by requiring the wealthy to pay their
fair share. Then, let the American people decide which plan they
prefer."

Jake Johnson is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

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