There’s a huge bait-and-switch going on in Washington right now and many Trump voters didn’t see it coming. In addition to backtracking on his promises to build a massive wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, prosecute Hillary Clinton, and “drain the swamp,” it appears that Trump is coming for your Social Security and Medicare. In February, Trump pledged to “save your Social Security without making any cuts,” but, right now, his actions are speaking much louder than his unreliable words.
Recently, Trump appointed Michael Korbey to his Social Security transition team. Korbey is a former lobbyist who has spent much of his career advocating for privatizing and cutting the program. During the George W. Bush administration, he was a senior advisor to the Social Security Administration where he backed Bush’s failed attempt to privatize the program. Even though Social Security is solvent until 2034, Republicans wish to hand the program over to Wall Street where American futures will be subject to the whims of the market.
In terms of Medicare, Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, has long had his eyes on privatizing the program and giving seniors vouchers to buy private insurance. Ryan recently suggested that any changes to Obamacare should affect Medicare as well. “If you’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare, you have to address those issues as well,” he told Fox News. “Medicare has got some serious issues because of Obamacare. So those things are part of our plan to replace Obamacare.” The real problem is that Ryan is lying through his teeth. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Obamacare strengthened Medicare’s financial outlook making it completely solvent through 2028.
Monday night, at a bipartisan town hall hosted by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, a Trump supporter spoke about the importance of Social Security and Medicare. So Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders explained to her how Trump plans on dismantling both programs. “Republicans in Congress have a plan under the guise of saving Medicare and saving Social Security, making devastating cuts. That’s what the Republicans are now trying to do,” Sanders said.
Watch the exchange on the video below:
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Did you catch the recent amazing performance by the Glass Animals at #GOODFest? Not to worry, you can check out one their incredible songs here:
In honor of #GivingTuesday, the Glass Animals played a concert for generosity at BAMcafé in Brooklyn, New York on November 29th. GOODFest Generosity was a celebration of progress, positivity, and the power of people to push the world forward. The show also featured performances by Madame Gandhi and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Check out https://www.goodfest.live for more clips. And support a classroom at https://www.donorschoose.org.
