‘At the end of the day, this is a question of priorities. The GOP continues to make it painfully clear that their first priority is to make the rich even richer, at the expense of the middle class.’
This morning, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg News what we’ve long suspected: the GOP’s only plan to address the ballooning federal deficit is to make deep and painful cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. His statement comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that the deficit has reached a six-year high of $779 billion, due largely to the trillion dollar tax cut for billionaires and wealthy corporations the GOP pushed through earlier this year.
Over 900,000 Minnesotans rely on Medicare for their health care coverage, and one-sixth of all Minnesotans receive Social Security benefits.
“The hypocrisy of Congressional Republicans is stunning,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “After years of hawkish attitudes about the federal deficit, Erik Paulsen and Jason Lewis threw those principles overboard and decided passing tax cuts for special interest donors was more important than balancing the federal budget. Now they want us to believe that the only way to solve their manufactured crisis is to slash programs that millions of Minnesotans rely on. “Hard-working people in Minnesota and around our country have spent their lives paying into Social Security and Medicare. For Mitch McConnell, Erik Paulsen, and Jason Lewis to suggest we take those benefits away shows just how out of touch the Republican party has become.
“If we’re ever going to balance our budget, it’s going to be by ensuring that all Americans pay their fair share, not by tearing protections from seniors and our most vulnerable neighbors.
“At the end of the day, this is a question of priorities. The GOP continues to make it painfully clear that their first priority is to make the rich even richer at the expense of middle class families. But in 21 days Minnesota voters can vote for new leaders who will strengthen our middle class and put working people before special interests.”