For Immediate Release
Thursday, August 17th, 2023
Contact: communications@azdem.org
Rep. David Schweikert Pushes Cuts to Social Security and Medicare
ARIZONA – With August marking the anniversaries of Social Security and Medicare, Representative David Schweikert (AZ-01) has continuously pushed cutting the life saving programs. Just last month, Rep. Schweikert took to the House floor to rail against the programs, threatening that, if the benefits that provide healthcare and income to millions of Arizonans are not gutted, this could spell “the end of your republic”.
“Arizonans see Representative Schweikert’s dog whistles and unpopular attacks on Medicare and Social Security,” said Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Party, Morgan Dick. “They understand that gutting these programs only help large corporations and billionaires while hurting our seniors. Arizona Democrats will always fight for the needs of the working class and Arizona voters will reject Representative Schweikert’s attempts to hurt working families in 2024.”
FACT SHEET:
Schweikert, who represents a district that President Biden won in 2020, sits on the committee that oversees Medicare and Social Security. He has long fought to cut Medicare and Social Security benefits to seniors despite the program’s nationwide popularity.
- Schweikert refuses to tell his voters the specific changes he would make to Medicare and Social Security. On the House floor, he said: “we have lost our minds around here with our unwillingness to do the things that are difficult because we have to explain it to a reporter or it will be an attack ad in one of our campaigns.”
- Schweikert is on the Republican Study Committee (RSC), which proposed raising the retirement age to 69 in June. This would force seniors to wait an additional two years to collect the full benefits they have paid into for their whole working lives.
- Schweikert and the RSC proposed turning Medicare into a voucher system, which would raise health insurance premiums for seniors, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
- While Schweikert and other extreme MAGA Republicans attack Medicare and Social Security, Democrats have delivered on protecting the programs. The budget agreement negotiated by President Biden in May preserves these essential benefits for seniors.
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