U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the Democratic chief within the Home of Representatives, warned that President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress need to “take a chainsaw” to Social Safety as they forge forward with their plan to execute main federal spending cuts.
“Home Republicans and the Trump administration try to take a chainsaw to the whole lot that issues to the American individuals, like ending Social Safety and Medicaid,” Jeffries decried on Thursday throughout his weekly chief’s press convention.
The Democratic chief and different members of his occasion have repeatedly cautioned that finances proposals from Republican lawmakers and unilateral cuts by the Trump administration to federal businesses, led by Elon Musk’s DOGE service, will critically affect federal packages tens of millions of Individuals depend on to outlive–notably amid skyrocketing prices for housing, well being care and on a regular basis requirements like groceries.
Jeffries emphasised that seniors who depend on Social Safety are particularly susceptible in as we speak’s financial system. In accordance with The Washington Put up, the Trump administration has moved to chop no less than 12 % of the Social Safety Administration’s employees, and the company is already experiencing important challenges amid overhauls led by DOGE. Musk, President Trump’s billionaire non-government worker senior advisor, referred to as Social Safety a “Ponzi scheme,” which has raised alarm for Democrats who worry the current consideration to Social Safety advantages, together with claims of fraud with out presenting proof, is the start of efforts to claw again the important social program.
“Seniors on Social Safety obtain a median of $65 per 30 days. They depend on Social Safety and earned advantages to place meals on the desk, clothes on their again, and to make it possible for they will pay their lease or pay their mortgage,” mentioned Chief Jeffries. “It’s extraordinary to us that Donald Trump, the administration, and Republicans try to detonate Social Safety in actual time, together with by dismantling the Social Safety Administration, which is able to affect the flexibility of older Individuals to obtain advantages.”
He added, “The Republicans consider that Social Safety is a Ponzi scheme. Challenge 2025 is the Ponzi scheme.”
The Democrats mentioned regardless of Republicans promising to decrease the fee for Individuals earlier than final yr’s election, they’ve finished nothing to maintain their promise since taking management of Congress and the White Home.
“Prices aren’t happening. They’re going up. Inflation goes up. America is changing into dearer and fewer reasonably priced beneath full Republican management of presidency,” he mentioned. “On the identical time frame, Republicans are flooding the zone with a parade of horribles that each one relate to Challenge 2025…and entrance and middle proper now could be the goal that Republicans have placed on the again of Social Safety recipients all throughout America.”
Throughout his joint tackle to Congress earlier this month, President Trump claimed with out proof that tens of millions of deceased individuals over the age of 100 (and as previous as 360) are nonetheless receiving Social Safety advantages. Whereas the database for SSA does embrace deceased people, they aren’t receiving advantages, as many retailers have debunked.
And whereas Trump and Republicans are targeted on making huge cuts to how a lot cash the federal authorities is spending, a ballot performed by The Related Press-NORC Heart for Public Affairs Analysis discovered that two-thirds of Individuals consider the federal government spends “too little” on Social Safety.
Congressman Jeffries vowed Democrats will proceed to “combat exhausting to guard Social Safety and Medicare and Medicaid and the issues that really matter to creating life higher for the American individuals.” He added, “We’re on the identical web page because it pertains to stopping the Republican effort to dismantle Social Safety as we all know it; we’re on the identical web page because it pertains to what must be finished to really create an financial system that’s reasonably priced for daily.”
