TrumpRx is Prescription Drug Snake Oil
Donald Trump’s latest gesture toward lowering prescription drug prices — and it is mostly an empty gesture — is the ‘branded’ website, TrumpRx, which the prez unveiled last week with great fanfare. It purports to save Americans money on drugs. But it is largely another Trump gimmick, joining Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Sneakers, and a myriad of other schemes. Trump Rx simply re-directs users to underwhelming (and already existing) manufacturer’s ‘discounts’ on brand‑name drugs – and is nowhere close to a serious plan to lower costs for the approximately 67 million seniors who rely on Medicare. In fact, Medicare beneficiaries cannot even use these manufacturer’s discounts, and few people with private health insurance policies will benefit, either.
Cato Really Wants to Cut Your Social Security Benefits
Cato Institute’s Romina Boccia is back at it, peddling the trope that Social Security doesn’t work and must be “re-designed.” In a recent post on Cato’s blog, she rolls out the “greatest hits” from a time-worn catalogue of conservative talking points. We asked our senior Social Security expert, Maria Freese, to fact-check some of Boccia’s key claims.
“Fox Guarding the Henhouse”: Social Security Whistleblower Fears Trump/DOGE Have Put Americans’ Data at Risk
An attorney for whistleblower Chuck Borges says that DOGE accessing Americans' sensitive Social Security information is akin to "the fox guarding the henhouse" -- as her client appeared on PBS NewsHour responding to the latest news about data breaches at the agency. The attorney goes on to say that the "government is lying to us" about DOGE's malfeasance. Borges, who was the Social Security Administration's chief data officer until being forced to resign, told NewsHour anchor Amna Nawaz that a court filing from the Trump administration confirms some of his worst fears about DOGE's gross mishandling of beneficiaries' personal data. The interview comes on the heels of reporting last week that DOGE employees shared sensitive Social Security data with a third party to ‘overturn election results.’
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Hopes that Senate Would Mitigate Medicaid & SNAP Cuts Have Been Dashed
Many who analyzed the reconciliation bill narrowly approved by the House of Representatives in a 215-214 vote on May 22nd hoped that the U.S. Senate would temper unaffordable tax cuts for the wealthy — and avoid slashing Medicaid and SNAP. Those hopes have been dashed by Senate Republicans on the Finance and Agriculture Committees, who propose to end Medicaid and SNAP as we know them – as lifelines for millions of Americans across the country who need reliable access to basic health care and food to survive.
Trump/DOGE Actions Fuel Surge in Social Security Claims
More Americans are suddenly filing for Social Security earlier than planned --- and it isn’t necessarily because they’re eager to retire. Interference in the Social Security system by Trump, Musk and DOGE has triggered a wave of public panic about the future of the program. For many, it’s created a sense of urgency to claim benefits before any other harmful changes are made. According to CBS News, early Social Security claims have surged by 17% this year compared to the same period in 2024. If this trend continues, annual filings are on track to reach 4 million. This spike comes amid the slashing of workforce and resources at the Social Security Administration under the guise of hunting for ‘waste and fraud.’
The Devastating Consequences of GOP Medicaid Cuts
House Republicans have taken another major step toward gutting the Medicaid program to pay for tax cuts largely benefitting their wealthy donors. On May 14, the GOP-controlled House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved budget legislation that slashes Medicaid funding by a jaw-dropping $717 billion over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Republican budget could strip health coverage from at least 13.7 million people. “Republicans are cutting them adrift, with no place else to turn for medical care except perhaps the emergency room,” says NCPSSM President Max Richtman, who labeled it “the most massive cut in Medicaid’s 60-year history.”
Don’t Claim Social Security Early Because of Trump & Musk
Many Americans nearing retirement age are understandably nervous about the future of Social Security under the Trump/Musk regime. Some people are claiming benefits early to hedge their bets against potential cuts or disruptions. The number of people filing for first time benefits jumped from roughly 500,000 in March of 2024 to 580,000 this year. These early filers are right to be concerned.
Trump Wants to Reclassify Social Security Staffers as Political Appointees
The Trump administration is again targeting the Social Security Administration (SSA) with changes that could undermine its mission. President Trump seeks to replace career civil servants at federal agencies (including SSA) with politically loyal appointees, using a classification known as “Schedule F.” This reclassification is designed to boost the president's control over career federal staffers by removing their civil service protections and making them easier to fire.
Trump Hands Big Pharma a Gift, Undermines Seniors
President Trump has signed a sweeping executive order that dilutes Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices. Though