Georgia Democratic Party: Will Loeffler Back Trump's Reckless Call for Social Security and Medicare Cuts '100%' Like She's Promised?

ATLANTA, Georgia, Jan. 23 -- The Georgia Democratic Party issued the following news release:

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- With Trump now open to cuts to earned benefits programs, Loeffler must answer why she has pledged to back Trump and Republicans' toxic plans "100%"

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Yesterday, as President Donald Trump signaled support for reckless cuts to critical earned benefits programs that older Georgians rely on, "political mega-donor" Kelly Loeffler continues to stand with him and Washington Republicans' disastrous agenda "100%."

Trump's announcement that cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will be "on his plate" fits perfectly with Republicans' reckless agenda on earned benefits programs that Loeffler has promised to be "100% supportive of." In fact, Trump's budget plan has already called for slashing nearly $2 trillion from programs like Medicare and Medicaid and cutting billions from Social Security.

This all comes after Republicans stacked nearly $2 trillion onto the national debt to pay for their corporate tax handout that gives 83% of its benefits to the richest 1% -- and actually increased economic inequality while doing next to nothing to grow the economy. Now, Trump and Senate Republicans are ready to stick middle-class families and older Georgians with the bill for their special interest tax giveaway.

Despite the damage these massively unpopular cuts to earned benefits programs could inflict on families across the country, Loeffler has still pledged to support Republicans' agenda "100%." With the president now revealing Republicans plan on cutting these vital programs, it's time for Loeffler to answer why she continues to put Washington Republicans' radical agenda above middle-class Georgians' well-being.

"Kelly Loeffler is ready to be '100% supportive of' the president and Washington Republicans, but she's clearly not willing to stand behind middle-class families and the critical earned benefits programs they paid into," said Alex Floyd, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia. "Georgia families worked hard for programs like Social Security and Medicare, and they deserve a senator who will work just as hard to protect them, not support an agenda '100%' that threatens to cut these vital earned benefits."

NYT: Trump Opens Door to Cuts to Medicare and Other Entitlement Programs

* President Trump suggested on Wednesday that he would be willing to consider cuts to social safety-net programs like Medicare to reduce the federal deficit if he wins a second term, an apparent shift from his 2016 campaign promise to protect funding for such entitlements.

* Despite promises to reduce the federal budget deficit, it has ballooned under Mr. Trump's watch as a result of sweeping tax cuts and additional government spending.

* Asked in an interview with CNBC if cuts to entitlements would ever be on his plate, Mr. Trump answered yes.

* "At some point they will be," Mr. Trump said, before pointing to United States economic growth. "At the right time, we will take a look at that."

* Mr. Trump suggested that curbing spending on Medicare, the government health care program for the elderly, was a possibility.

* The president has already proposed cuts for some safety-net programs.

* His last budget proposal called for a total of $1.9 trillion in cost savings from mandatory safety-net programs, like Medicaid and Medicare.

* It also called for spending $26 billion less on Social Security programs, the federal retirement program, including a $10 billion cut to the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which provides benefits to disabled workers.

* Following the $1.5 trillion tax cut that Republicans passed in 2017, some suggested that they would quickly turn to reduce the cost of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.