Trump budget plan will not cut Social Security, Medicare: Mnuchin

[Yonnie3]

U.S. President Donald Trump's first budget proposal will spare big social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Mnuchin said Trump would use a major policy speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night to preview some elements of his sweeping plans to cut taxes for the middle class, simplify the tax system and make American companies more globally competitive with lower rates and changes to encourage U.S. manufacturing.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-economy-idUSKBN1650LL

After hearing what Paul Ryan has said about Medicare and Social Security, I don't find Mnuchin's statement very reassuring. If he had said President Trump will veto any legislation that affects present and future Medicare or Social Security benefits I would feel a bit better.

[elleng]

1. Can't believe anything ANY of them say,

but ryan's more of a concern to me as he's been on this track for a long time.

[Doreen]

2. I think that is a lie.

[Yonnie3]

4. I'm not so sure it's a lie.

All he is saying is that it is not in Trump's "first budget proposal" so it could be true. As far as the final budget, I'm thinking there will be changes. My guess is they will hit the COLA and reduce benefits for those not yet on SS. I suspect higher co-pays and a later start for Medicare will happen. I don't think Medicare vouchers will be on this budget.

[Doreen]

7. Well, it seems like they are lying about a lot.

We will just have to watch what they do but I trust them as much as I would be able to pick up Trump's tower and throw it into the sewer plant where it belongs.

[Yonnie3]

9. I would call it bullcrap

I think the White House knows that Congress has been drooling at the prospect of cutting and/or privatizing these earned benefits. They know that this is the case, so them saying it is off the table is a bunch of crap, it is just not an outright lie.

[Doreen]

10. Well, the dictator did say NOTHING is off the table.

[GP6971]

3. I don't beleive this for one second.

They're nothing but bullshitters

[mitch96]

5. And they will only round up criminal illegal aliens

A Huh... right.... And I 've got the bridge to sell ya....
m

[drray23]

6. in any case the president's budget if of no consequences.

This is not what is being voted on. Budget appropriation bills brought up by congress is what matters.
The president Budget is just a guideline, a wishlist from the white house that congress can take into account when drafting the actual budget. It has always been like that. What we need to watch out for is what Ryan and his ilk will put out.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. It is possible they're getting a sense of just how many

seniors are out there, and how riled up we can get. They think the protests so far have been unpleasant. Just wait.

It's bad enough when the way the COLA is figured that we don't get an increase in SS. To even go back to the days when there was no COLA, before 1975, when the phrase "Living on a Fixed Income" was absolutely true. If they think they can actually cut SS they will discover just what an insurrection could look like.

SS was intended to be the third leg of a three-legged stool, the other two legs being a pension and savings. And each one of those legs should contribute about a third of an older person's income. For lots of reasons (and the disappearance of pensions is only part of the story) some very large number of seniors depend on SS for anywhere from half to all of their income. Which means those people are living pretty close to the edge.

A lot of those seniors vote, and a lot of them will let Congress know exactly what they think if any cuts are planned. A quick look at the SSA website shows that over 43 million people over the age of 65 receive SS. There are several million more disabled people receiving SS or SSI, and several million more under the age of 65 who took early retirement. I suspect that a noticeable percentage of those many millions would protest, march in the streets in their home cities and in DC. Many thousands would occupy their Representatives' and Senators' offices.

It's rarely a good idea to mess with old people.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. VERY well said.

I strongly recommend that you post this as its own post in GD.

This needs to be broadcast far and wide.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. Okay. I'll do that.

on edit: I just posted a slightly edited version of my above post.

Here's a link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028713869

[NRaleighLiberal]

11. these people have been known to tell a whopper now and then...