“As if to prove right off the bat that he’s coming after Social Security and Medicare, the new Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson, announced that he is creating a debt commission. Johnson has a history of blaming the debt on Social Security and Medicare — and falsely claiming that Social Security is going ‘belly up.’ Social Security and Medicare Part A are self-financed and do not contribute a penny to the debt. But the kind of commission Johnson announced is designed to give Congress political cover for cutting Americans’ earned benefits. That is why these commissions have been rightly described as ‘death panels’ for Social Security and Medicare. It is unfortunate and disappointing that one of the Speaker’s first priorities is creating a mechanism intended to slash programs that American workers pay for in every paycheck, fully expecting the benefits to be there when they need them. Speaker Johnson clearly wishes to break this compact with the American people. Perhaps that’s not surprising from a Congressman who earns a zero rating on our legislative scorecard and is a former chair of the Republican Study Committee, which recommended cuts such as raising the retirement age and means testing benefits.” – Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
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