News/Commentary

Gamesmanship over Social Security funding grates: ‘Quit sending our money to other people!’

May 15, 2023 | | Print Article

After screeching that unvaccinated conservatives want to kill your grandma during the COVID pandemic, Democrats are now claiming that Republicans want to make grandma homeless to avoid raising the nation’s debt ceiling.

As the June debt ceiling deadline draws near, a Twitter war has erupted between liberals who insist Republicans want to slash Social Security, and those on the right who argue that America could have a balanced budget if Democrats would quit sending our taxpayer dollars overseas.

“Social Security and Medicare payments could be halted or delayed” if the United States “defaulted on our debt,” President Biden tweeted last week. “Retirement accounts would be hit. Costs would go up.”

Should Congress decline to raise the debt ceiling before June, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned, Social Security payments would potentially be placed on the chopping block.

“If Congress fails to do that, it really impairs our credit rating. We have to default on some obligation, whether it’s Treasuries or payments to Social Security recipients,” Yellen said on Friday, according to the Epoch Times. “That’s something America hasn’t done since 1789.”

But as BizPac Review reported, Social Security is on track to go broke in nine years, and Yellen’s claim that Biden is willing to work with Congress to prevent the impending collapse is “a lie.”

During a March Senate Finance Committee hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) cornered Yellen into admitting as much.

“Is the president aware that when Social goes broke in nine years, under current law, there’s a 24 percent cut in benefits for people who are currently receiving it?” he asked the secretary.

“If we don’t do anything about it, I think that’s about right,” Yellen replied.

“In the 4.5 trillion dollars of taxes the president has proposed,” Cassidy continued, “are any of those taxes going to shore up Social Security?”

Before Yellen could respond, Cassidy said, “I actually know that answer. The answer is, of the 4.5 trillion in taxes he has proposed, not a dime is going to shore up Social Security.”

When Yellen claimed that Biden “stands ready” to work with Congress, Cassidy shot back, “That’s a lie, because when a bipartisan group of senators has repeatedly requested to meet with him about Social so that somebody who is a current beneficiary will not see her benefits cut by 24 percent, we have not heard anything on our request and we’ve made multiple requests to meet with the president.”

As the divisive subject trended on Twitter on Monday, many called on the president to slash the funding for some of his pet projects and avoid any cuts to Social Security.

“Then get to work,” one user suggested in response to Biden’s tweet. “Agree to cut some spending. The government shouldn’t be allowed to spend more than it takes in … so perhaps you and Dr. Jill should get started hosting some bake sales or something.”

“If you quit sending our money to other people maybe we’d have the money to pay our bills,” another wrote.


Many pointed to the billions of dollars being sent to Ukraine to fight a proxy war with Russia.

Quote-tweeting a video of a Russian missile destroying an ammunition plant “with $2.2 billion worth of USA taxpayer/NATO ammunition” in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, one user noted, “That big orange flash and fireball is your social security check evaporating. Do with that information what you will.”

As progressives called Republicans “intellectually handicapped,” one user asked, “Would you rather have $$$ for social security & veterans or spend billions on Ukraine & welfare for illegals crossing our borders by the millions?”

“Who has the intellectual handicap?” the user asked. “Who puts American citizens first?”

https://twitter.com/HindaRifka/status/1657945164134989827?s=20

 

 

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Melissa Fine
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