Dear Editor,

This election will be a very important one for our senior citizens depending on Social Security and Medicare.

I ask you to seriously review the candidates and their stance on Social Security and Medicare.

There is a renewed interest in using soaring budget deficits as an excuse to slash senior earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. The Republican controlled House of Representatives led by Jodey Arrington have advanced the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023 (House Resolution 5779) out of committee to bring to the floor for a vote. This bill will create a closed-door “fiscal commission” to negotiate cuts to Social Security and Medicare. He refers to Social Security as an entitlement and is the “last train left in the station” to cut.

Republican Andrew Biggs was also nominated to the Social Security Advisory Board. He is a proponent for privatization of our benefits. He has admitted under questioning that he would prefer to see seniors’ benefits cut rather than making others pay their fair share. He also dismissed the looming retirement oncoming crisis as a “non-issue”. Republicans like Arrington and House Speaker Johnson would rather cut our benefits than ask their donors and money people to pay their fair share.

The White House has called such a commission a “death panel for Social Security”.

It’s indisputable that Social Security does not add a penny to the federal deficit. A Social Security Trustees report shows that historically it takes in more than it pays out. It currently has a $2.83 trillion surplus. It will pay full benefits under the current system until 2034 at which time it would be 80% if nothing is adjusted.

I ask you to please question these candidates and their intentions on whether to follow former President Trump, who proposed cuts to Social Security with every single budget he released. The man was quoted recently as saying, “there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting benefits.” Remember, it’s our money. We paid into it, and we do not want anybody cutting our earned benefits.

Frank Papini

President

USW S.O.A.R.

Chapter 23-9

Bridgeport