House Speaker Ryan Confirms Entitlement Cuts On 2018 Congressional Agenda
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What’s the story?
As House and Senate GOP leaders negotiate over a final plan for tax reform that nonpartisan analysts say will add $1 trillion to the national debt, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) confirmed suspicions that the next major item on the GOP agenda for 2018 is entitlement reform, including Medicare, Medicaid and anti-poverty programs.
Citing deficit concerns, in a conservative radio talk show interview, Ryan stated that Republican lawmakers are gearing up to tackle the costs of health care entitlements:
"We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit… Frankly, it's the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt, so we spend more time on the health care entitlements — because that's really where the problem lies, fiscally speaking."
Other GOP lawmakers have pointed to entitlement programs as a central economic problem in recent weeks, as well, reports the Washington Post. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) last week also brought up the idea of reforms to 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. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) blamed "liberal programs" for the nation’s debt crisis, and insisted they were not the way to help the poor:
"We're spending ourselves into bankruptcy. Now, let's just be honest about it: We're in trouble. This country is in deep debt. You don't help the poor by not solving the problems of debt, and you don't help the poor by continually pushing more and more liberal programs through."
During his campaign, President Trump insisted that he would not ever cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) highlighted his tweeted declaration in a display on the Senate floor in recent days. Ryan, however, assured his interviewer that the president was coming around to his point of view, saying, "I think the president is understanding that choice and competition works everywhere in health care, especially in Medicare."
The White House has not made any official announcements of their legislative goals around entitlements, but the president has called for "welfare reform" in recent public addresses.
What do you think?
Are GOP lawmakers right, in your opinion, about the need for entitlement reform?
Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!
— Asha Sanaker
(Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons)
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