Following Tax Victory, Republicans Start Eyeing Medicare
Republican leaders have been champing at the bit to cut government programs such as Medicare, and critics are now worried they'll use swelling deficits created by the GOP tax bill as an excuse to go after the programs.
The New York Times:
Heading Toward Tax Victory, Republicans Eye Next Step: Cut Spending
As the tax cut legislation passed by the Senate early Saturday hurtles toward final approval, Republicans are preparing to use the swelling deficits made worse by the package as a rationale to pursue their long-held vision: undoing the entitlements of the New Deal and Great Society, leaving government leaner and the safety net skimpier for millions of Americans. Speaker Paul D. Ryan and other Republicans are beginning to express their big dreams publicly, vowing that next year they will move on to changes in Medicare and Social Security. President Trump told a Missouri rally last week, “We’re going to go into welfare reform.” (Zernike and Rappeport, 12/2)
The Washington Post:
GOP Eyes Post-Tax-Cut Changes To Welfare, Medicare And Social Security
“You also have to bring spending under control. And not discretionary spending. That isn't the driver of our debt. The driver of our debt is the structure of Social Security and Medicare for future beneficiaries,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said this week. While whipping votes for a GOP tax bill on Thursday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) attacked “liberal programs” for the poor and said Congress needed to stop wasting Americans' money. (Stein, 12/1)
