Democrats are going on the attack after former President Trump raised the possibility of cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
Trump said in a Monday interview there’s “a lot” that can be done on entitlements “in terms of cutting,” a comment President Biden immediately seized on. The Biden campaign quickly released a new ad, contrasting the former president’s comments with Biden’s during the State of the Union last week.
This marks the second time in as many campaign cycles that Democrats have elevated the issue after Republican missteps. Then-National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) call in 2022 to sunset all federal legislation, including Social Security, haunted Republicans through that campaign cycle, putting them on the back foot on a subject Democrats relish bringing up.
“There’s no more popular program, and despite knowing that, people like Sen. Scott and Trump — they always go there,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said. “They’re vague about how to do it, but they always go there.”
Republicans attempted to distance themselves from Scott’s call two years ago, maintaining he did not speak for the vast majority of the party. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tried to make that clear, telling reporters the GOP plan would not include any sort of sunset provision if they were to flip control of the chamber. And Scott himself dropped Social Security and Medicare from his proposal.
That, however, did not stop Biden and his allies from consistently name-checking Scott and highlighting his blueprint.
Democrats expect a repeat with Trump’s remarks on the campaign trail.
“I think you’re going to see the president use that line the rest of the campaign,” Kaine added.
Biden has already started to use Trump’s remarks in campaign stops, saying Monday in New Hampshire, “If anyone tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age again, I will stop them. This morning, Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security and Medicare are on the table again.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said Scott “stuck out his chin” with his 2022 call and “got punched for it,” adding that Trump and other Republicans must figure out whether to go down that path again.
“These are issues that people really care about,” Durbin said. “I think the president understands that the ravings of Donald Trump are largely ignored, but when he hits one of these sweet spots, we’re going to bring him to account for reckless remarks.”
Senate Democrats also believe the topic will have longer legs than just the presidential race. Just as they did two years ago, they believe it could have an impact in down-ballot contests across the map.
“There’s no question. Defending Social Security and Medicare is a priority for us, and we’re going to continue to [message on that],” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“Clearly Republicans have talked about a variety of cuts,” added Peters, who also led the Democrats’ campaign arm last cycle when Scott’s comments erupted, “and voters need to know there’s a clear difference in the campaign.”
Multiple Senate Republicans dismissed Biden’s latest attacks, arguing they are part of the long-standing Democratic playbook come election season and noting Trump’s attempt to walk back the comments.
The former president’s campaign said he was referring to “cutting waste.” Trump in previous campaigns had vowed not to touch Social Security, going against the grain of many top Republicans at the time.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a leading candidate to become Senate GOP leader next year, said the Biden campaign’s attacks are a “non-issue.”
Still, Republicans are concerned about the party’s ability to articulate its message on Social Security and how to fix it, and they believe Trump’s latest comments are proof.
“I think the problem we have is we just run away. A lot of people kind of cower in fear when they think about rolling grandma over the cliff sort of ads, and I think we’re missing the opportunity to say this isn’t about breaking a promise, this is about actually making sure that we fulfill it,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said. “We’re doing a horrible job at consistently messaging it.”
Tillis pointed to Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) plan as one that members should look to and highlight consistently.
Social Security, as currently projected, is solvent through 2034. The Biden administration has estimated 68 million Americans will receive a monthly Social Security payment this year. Roughly $1.5 trillion is expected to be paid out in benefits.
As for Medicare, it is solvent through 2028. Nearly 67 million people are part of the program, which gives health insurance to people aged 65 and older.
Benefits for both programs would be subject to automatic cuts without a legislative fix.
A fiscal 2025 budget request released by Biden this week, includes a proposal to increase the Medicare tax rate on those earning more than $400,000 annually to extend the solvency of the program’s Hospital Insurance trust fund. Biden’s budget also calls for extending the solvency of Social Security by “asking the highest income Americans to pay their fair share” but doesn’t include many specifics.
The budget will not become law in a divided Congress but is widely seen as a campaign messaging tool.
When asked about the latest Social Security war of words, Scott panned Biden for not “putting a dime in” to preserve Social Security as part of his latest budget.
“It seems like the current field is not interested in having that conversation, but my hope is once President Trump is reelected in his last term in office, hopefully he’ll be willing to address it because we can’t just ignore it,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said.
“People, by and large, regard it as the third rail of American politics for a reason,” Cornyn added.