"I think these should be on the table," GOP Rep. Greg Lopez said of Social Security and Medicare.
Summary
At the first meeting of the DOGE Caucus, a new congressional group focused on government efficiency, Republican Rep. Greg Lopez stated that cuts to Social Security and Medicare are likely “on the table” as part of debt reduction efforts.
The caucus, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to slash government spending, raising concerns among advocacy groups about potential attacks on anti-poverty programs.
Critics, including Social Security Works, warn the caucus may push for privatization and benefit reductions.
This comes despite Trump’s prior commitment to protect these programs.
Up, it has a surplus. Government 'borrows' from the pool to pay for stuff. When they say they're making cuts, what they mean is they don't intend to pay the debt.
Too bad "dark" Brandon couldn't appoint a competent attorney general. Or stand up to the Israeli genocide. It so any of the important things that could have prevented voters not caring to turn out, having felt abandoned and ignored... But at least he said some things
Sure sure. I'm game for moving social security, but now how about you give back all the fucking money I put in it WITH interest since ya know.... Inflation.
WHUT? I thought Trump was just going to kick out all the illegals and fuck over China! No one told me there would be DOMESTIC consequences!! Why didn't anyone warn me? At all his rallies he said the next 4 years would be awesome. Now I'm starting to think I was misled!
nooo trump will definitely make the country great again, you see, but just like every great empire, so does this one require slaves/victims. otherwise if you're not winning against someone, what is the point in greatness?
What's going to happen is DOGE will cut $5 trillion from the programs, and then there will be a $4 trillion in tax cuts that impact only the rich in someway or another, and an additional $1 trilion for the military.
0 money is actually going to be saved from this. Realistically it'll be negative and cost money, not even 0.
I think that anyone who didn't vote because they thought the two were equivalent are probably not the type of person to keep up with this type of thing. So, there is probably ignorance, not necessarily stupidity (although there is that too). Ignorance is bliss. They're probably in their own world worrying about other things, and they probably are happier for it.
I am envious. It will be bad enough to suffer resulting from everything president dipshit will do, but suffering from frustration knowing it is coming is awful too.
I've actually been Black Bloc at protests going back to the Occupy movement, I've been throwing shit. Can I assume you're one of those dickhead accelerationists that's never actually done anything and just wants to stir shit up?
It's funny, I listened to Steve Bannon's war room the other day and he was demanding that they not touch social security and go after the elites and the NGOs instead. Can't imagine this will play well with the voters that swung towards the republicans
oh i'm sure the voters will do the same thing they always do.
Rabidly support it until its too late, then go full "I didnt think he was going to hurt MY social security! Its not me hes supposed to be hurting! Its the poors! and the minorities! Why is he hurting me?! I'm a loyal supporter!"
well i guess it's a good thing nobody really needed that Social Security anyways /s
i'm impressed over and over again what kind of mental flexibility allows people to call themselves "followers of jesus" and then implement such regulations.
Not to come off as a raging cynic, but I for one am not.
All one needs to do is work retail or food service on Sundays. Moral licensing is absolutely a thing, and it's awful. Such interactions can leave one with the impression that there's a huge mob of people out there that are more concerned with narrowly avoiding hell than ensuring their place in heaven. Nevermind trying to be good people.
The House R's have a very tiny majority and their constituents will not be happy about this idea and will let them know it. So I feel like they won't be able to get the votes to do it. I also think they're going to prioritze things like more tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations first, as well as the border stuff, before they would get to that. Ya never know, but that's what I'm hoping for.
That's not completely true. Social Security is supposed to fund itself, however it's currently facing a funding shortfall with current estimates that it will be depleted in 2035. There are many suggestions on how make this program solvent, including bolstering it with general funds.
I think a good start would be to stop allowing Republicans to raid Social Security for quick cash, like they've been constantly doing since the Reagan administration.
That's not completely true.
Long ago they put it into the general fund.
There is always a shortfall in the general fund.
Before they put it in there it was solvent, and if they wouldn't have it would be completely solvent today.
It doesn't fund itself, but it's a completely separate fund [bucket of money] than the rest of the government budget, with a specific tax that goes directly to it and nothing else.
Yes, it's a payroll tax. Your paycheck may show how much you are paying into Social Security. This is money meant to help you and others after retirement. Musk wants to take that money and instead use it to fill unrelated gaps in the federal budget, gaps caused by Trump's tax cuts for the very wealthy.
Wow! Who woulda guessed they would immediately reneg on a campaign "promise" and immediately attack the side of the population that most reliably votes for them?
I've been hearing since the 90s that social security would be bankrupt by the time I'm eligible for it, so i haven't included it in my retirement calculations at all.
More and more I feel we are seeing the pendulum swing. Normally we see 5-10 year cycles of push and pull along the political spectrum, but I'm becoming increasingly convinced we're in a century long cycle too.
We no longer have those with living memory of the gilded age, losing those who remember the saving grace that was the New Deal, and fewer and fewer left who were sent to war to fight fascism. Meanwhile the wealth gap is worsening in developed nations across the world, democratic republics are electing more far right parties and authoritarian leaders with populist messages, and the incoming administration is floating the idea of scrapping the FDIC and deregulating anything else on his favorite billionaire's wishlist.
Seems like we're right on track for a repeat of the 1930s.
I'm legit surprised some big stock brokerage or finance firm hasn't loaded up to the tits on Tesla short positions and then sent in a couple of Luigi's.
doesn't need to be, of course. they just want to cut social security because 'the poors' rely on it more.
debt reduction efforts
deep-six every loophole used mostly or only by the wealthy to avoid paying their share of taxes.
increase funding for irs, streamline enforcement actions, give them the resources needed to go after the big fish.
eliminate the cap on social security contributions, lower the ceiling on benefits for the very wealthy retirees, while raising the minimum benefit.
single payer tax funded health care, paid by higher taxes on the wealthy.
raise the capital gains rates. raise the estate tax, lower the assets value needed to trigger it.
raise the marginal rates for high income earners (by a lot. i want reagan screaming from beyond)
budget problem fixed. well over $2 trillion a year pumped into the economy by people who are now no longer padding insurance companies' bottom lines with it. but we aren't done yet....
$12/hr min wage (wait wut?!?!?! wait for it....)
$24,000 universal tax credit for everyone. the higher taxes up^there on high income earners would negate this for them, and they fund it for the others that do receive it.
this is a compromise between the $15 (or higher) crowd and small businesses. a little lower fed min wage than what's being pushed, but then essentially doubled based on full time work via the tax credit all receive.
The wealthy, who have had help all their life but imagine they did it all on their own, see needing help when you're poor as a disgusting moral failing. Many of them will also call themselves Christians.
This could end badly for them. Old people without a means to continue surviving either have to continue working till they die, or die fighting the government.
Lovely how this incredibly wealthy person is laser focused on making things worse for poor people. I suppose it's the usual ploy of making people as desperate as possible so people like him can prey on us more easily.
Don't worry, the cuts will drain social security just in time for when you go to collect. Current recipients will go un affected. I have no insider knowledge, I just understand that corporate America hates my generation.
OK, but we have to make it absolutely crystal clear who is doing this, who it's hurting, and who is benefiting. That's why reporting like this is important.
Trump just won an election by blaming democrats for Trump's own terrible economy.
I hate to tell you but it won't. My in-laws fall into that category and I constantly watch them twist themselves into knots trying to justify this stuff. They would also rather do without insurance than watch someone "undeserving" get it for "free".
Yup, all Trump has to do is say how the cuts would have been way worse under Kamala and the brainwashed masses eat it up without a single critical thought.