‘This is a trap’: Progressives sound alarm on Republicans’ Social Security sneak attack hidden in coronavirus bill

Tucked inside Senate Republicans’ gargantuan coronavirus stimulus package is a provision that progressives are warning could significantly damage Social Security’s funding in the short-term and empower right-wing lawmakers to make even deeper cuts to the vital program in the future.

“Senate Republicans are using the coronavirus crisis as a cynical cover to attack our Social Security system,” Nancy Altman, president of advocacy group Social Security Works, warned in a statement.

The GOP’s $1.8 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act would allow businesses to delay payment of the employer payroll tax—one of the primary funding mechanisms for Social Security—for the rest of 2020. Continue reading.