Earlier this summer, Republicans in congress got really excited about the prospect of stripping millions of Americans of Medicare, Social Security, and other programs they rely on for their well-being, with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (R. SC) saying the quiet part out loud and admitting if the GOP regains a majority they will do just that.
During a conversation with Vermont Democrat Bernie Sanders, Graham accused the U.S. of being socialist for offering assistance to its citizens.
Sanders: “In the United States, Lindsey, we spend twice as much per capita on health care compared to the people of any other country, while major countries like Canada, the U.K., Germany manage to supply health care to all their people…Why is that? Because they’re not having insurance companies ripping off the system.”
Graham, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee would take over if the Senate swings Republican in 2023, and added “Entitlement reform is a must for us to not become Greece.”
Several media outlets responded in the wake of Graham’s comments, which were mostly based around Florida Senator Rick Scott’s plan for “reforming” such programs:
Washington Post: “But during the seven weeks of turmoil since Scott dropped a provocative conservative policy bomb on an unsuspecting party — a plan that called for tax increases and expiration dates for all federal laws, including those establishing Social Security and Medicare — he has not once expressed regret. Instead, the former hospital chain CEO and two-term governor, the richest man in the Senate, argues that he owes his detractors nothing.”
Washington Post Opinion: “Scott’s plan would also sunset — eliminate — all federal legislation over five years, under the (risky) assumption that worthy laws would be reenacted. That could mean an end to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, everything else mentioned above — and potentially more.”
Up North News: “Ron Johnson Thinks a GOP Plan for Tax Increases and the Potential End of Medicare and Social Security Is a ‘Positive Thing’”
The Daily Beast: “At least four GOP candidates in the most important battleground states this fall have either explicitly expressed support for Scott’s plan or have campaigned on the political views that form the foundation of his platform.”
