In a town hall on Fox News in Scranton, Pennsylvania last night, President Donald Trump admitted – for the second time in recent months – that he will seek to cut Medicare and Social Security if reelected to a second term.

“We’ll be cutting,” President Trump said when questioned by a moderator.

These new statements come after the president’s widely criticized remarks in January to CNBC. When asked if he would consider budget cuts to programs like Medicare, President Trump sharply answered yes. “At some point they will be,” Trump said. “At the right time, we will take a look at that.”

The brazen declarations by the president coincide with the release of the White House’s budget blueprint for 2020 that also outlined cuts to the two programs.

According to a review by American Ledger, President Trump’s desire to cut these programs is nothing new. Over 10 years President Trump’s 2020 budget would cut Medicare spending by $845 billion, including cuts to prescription drug coverage, hospital reimbursements, and by reclassifying spending away from Medicare. The president’s budget also placed a bullseye on Social Security, allocating $25 billion less to the program over 10 years.

In 2018, over 2.8 million Pennsylvania residents drew Social Security benefits, and in 2019 over 2.7 million were enrolled in Medicare.

If President Trump is successfully reelected, these budget cuts could be potentially catastrophic for the millions of low-income and elderly Pennsylvania residents who rely on programs like Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid for their wellbeing and economic security.

 


Contact Cole Driver at cdriver@american-ledger.org