Larson Leads Democrats on House Floor to Protect Medicare and Social Security from Cuts
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) led his Democratic colleagues on the House floor with Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02) on the need to protect Medicare and Social Security from House Republicans’ proposed cuts and strengthen benefits by making the wealthy pay their fair share.
You can view the members’ remarks here.
“It has been more than 50 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security. 70 million Americans rely on Social Security. 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security. 40% of Americans rely on Social Security in and of itself as their primary tenet for retirement,” said Larson. It is the nation's number one anti-poverty program for the elderly and for children. Our colleagues have taken to the Floor today so that the American people understand that what's between them and enhancement to this program is a vote, a vote for Social Security 2100. What could be a better bipartisan plan than helping out every single individual in everyone's district.”
“Democrats are protecting critical programs like Social Security and Medicare and the myriad ways in which, unfortunately our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are doing the exact opposite,” said Neguse. “[The Republican Study Committees plan] upends critical programs that American families depend on, makes draconian cuts to Medicare and Social Security. It’s a plan that increases the retirement age to 69, forcing Americans to work longer for less, a plan that cuts disability benefits, erodes care for children, making it more expensive to care for our families. Their plan raises Medicare costs for seniors, takes away the programs' ability to negotiate prescription drug costs, repeals the $35 insulin and $2,000 out-of-pocket caps that House Democrats, the members gathered here on the Floor this evening, fought so vigorously to enact in the 117th Congress.”
Reps. Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), Linda Sanchez (CA-38), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), and Matt Cartwright (PA-08) joined Larson and Neguse to slam the Republican budget plan and call for action to enhance Social Security. The members’ remarks can be viewed here.
Mere days after Donald Trump called for cuts to Social Security and Medicare on national television, the largest caucus of House Republicans released a budget plan to make $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security benefits and $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicare while promising another round of tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations.
Last year, Larson reintroduced the Social Security 2100 Act with nearly 200 of his Democratic colleagues to extend the program’s solvency and increase benefits across-the-board by heeding President Biden’s call to ‘scrap the cap’ on income above $400,000 a year, so the wealthiest Americans pay in to Social Security with each and every paycheck.