Republican lawmakers are explicitly saying they are looking into cutting Social Security to pay for President Donald Trump's tax cuts—touching the third rail of politics as they seek to pass Dear Leader's agenda.
Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia, told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on Monday that Republicans have been “discussing” cutting mandatory spending—that is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans benefits—in order to pass Trump's tax cut agenda, which will require trillions in reciprocal cuts if Republicans want to make it a reality.
"That's what we've been discussing," Moore said. "This is our once in a lifetime opportunity."
Rep. Riley Moore says Republicans are looking to pay for more tax cuts with cuts to mandatory spending -- that is, Social Security and Medicare
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, also went even further in a post on X, saying that, "Social Security [is] a ripoff for most Americans compared to essentially any legitimate retirement investment."
The comment was in response to a post from co-President Elon Musk, who pushed incorrect information about how Social Security works to claim the program is rife with fraud. Musk loves to use claims of fraud as justification to slash federal spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory commission Trump created in order to cut the federal budget.
"Just learned that the social security database is not de-duplicated, meaning you can have the same SSN many times over, which further enables MASSIVE FRAUD!! Your tax dollars are being stolen," Musk wrote.
In fact, the news outlet Semaforreported that Social Security benefits are indeed next on DOGE’s list for cuts. According to Semafor:
The Social Security Administration is an upcoming focus of the Department of Government Efficiency, a source with knowledge of its work told Semafor, and one person involved in DOGE is currently preparing to work with the agency that provides benefits to the elderly and disabled.
Musk’s unqualified DOGE bros have already accessed the Treasury Department’s systems that make payments for Social Security, raising alarm bells from Democratic lawmakers.
“The federal government is not Twitter. It matters if Elon breaks things at the Social Security Administration. Musk has no clue what SSA employees do, nor does he care—it doesn't matter to him if you miss a Social Security Check. He belongs NOWHERE NEAR your Social Security,” Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, wrote in a post on X.
Cutting Social Security benefits could cause a massive backlash from voters.
A January poll from the American Association of Retired Persons found that 85 percent of Americans say they want Social Security benefits to be maintained, even if that requires raising taxes.
“It is rare in today’s political climate to see people unite around anything, but virtually all Americans want their Social Security benefits to be preserved and are willing to do what it takes to ensure the program continues to provide meaningful support for future generations,” Deb Whitman, AARP’s chief public policy officer, said in a statement on the findings.
But Social Security isn’t the only social safety net program that Republicans want to slash in order to pay for Trump’s tax cuts for the rich.
Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, also went on Bartiromo's show Monday morning to say that Republicans are also looking to implement work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps.
"We think there should be work requirements for able-bodied people who choose not to work,” Harris said. “We don't think they should be on Medicaid. We don't think they should be receiving food stamps."
Rep. Andy Harris: "We think there should be work requirements for able-bodied people who choose not to work. We don't think they should be on Medicaid. We don't think they should be receiving food stamps."
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 10, 2025 at 2:51 PM
The only state to ever have implemented work requirements for Medicaid was Arkansas. And the experiment failed.
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
The Arkansas policy was a failure in many respects:
- The work-reporting requirement harmed thousands of people by taking away their health coverage, leaving many uninsured. It harmed thousands of others by requiring them to live under the ongoing stress of potential coverage loss.
- People who were supposed to be exempted from submitting monthly proof of their work hours were not always shielded from losing coverage.
- The requirement imposed extreme levels of red tape on targeted Medicaid enrollees, resulting in coverage losses and no increases in employment.
Of course, for any of these cuts to become reality, the GOP-controlled Congress would have to actually pass them. And Politicoreported that the Republican infighting about what to cut and how deep those cuts will be is threatening the party’s ability to pass Trump’s agenda.
But never underestimate Republicans’ ability to fall in line when Trump asks them to. If his agenda is imperiled, Trump is sure to put pressure on GOP lawmakers.
It’s why Democrats are imploring supporters to make their voices heard in the hopes that a massive public backlash could finally break Republicans’ subservience to Trump.
“Show up to things,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, wrote in a post on X laying out the ways the public can thwart Trump’s agenda. “Protests. Town hall meetings. Picket lines. Political leaders—yes, even Republicans—pay attention to public, in person action more than anything else.”
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.
