Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has started budget and debt ceiling talks with the GOP’s favorite attack…cut Social Security or Medicare or else ______ (fill in the blank to fit the debate of the day). This time it’s… “or else we’ll shutdown the government.”
“Mitch McConnell privately wants the White House to pay this price to enact a major budget deal: Significant changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and funding the government.” CNN
“Chained CPI is off the table as an offset to pay for higher spending caps. One person with knowledge of the talks said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened the negotiation with a proposal to offset higher discretionary spending with chained CPI and Medicare means testing, though McConnell’s office would not confirm that he made the request.” CQ News
“In a direct rebuke to his Republican counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday that raising the debt limit is non-negotiable. Speaking hours before the first Democratic presidential debate, which is being held in his home state, Reid encouraged President Barack Obama not to enter into talks with congressional Republicans, who have plotted to use the debt limit as a means of extracting spending cuts.” Huffington Post
You’ll also note there is no talk of reversing trillions of dollars in tax breaks and loopholes for large corporations shipping jobs overseas. No talk of the billions more in tax breaks given to the ultra-wealthy. Instead, Republican leaders want to cut the whopping $1,291 average monthly Social Security retirement benefit. A benefit Americans have paid for throughout their working lives.
The debt limit expires November 5th so there’s not much time to make it clear…once again…that the American people are paying attention and you won’t stand by and watch as Social Security is used as a political bargaining chip. Make that call!
