House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging Issues Statement on President Trump Executive Action on Social Security, Medicare

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- The House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families issued the following statement:

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In response to President Trump's executive action destabilizing Social Security and Medicare, the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging & Families released the following statement:

"Americans are facing both a public health crisis and an economic one due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is nothing short of cruel that President Trump has chosen this moment to plunge Social Security and Medicare into chaos, along with the millions of children and older Americans who survive on these earned benefits.

"Seniors are already endangered by the coronavirus, as evidenced by its grave toll in our nation's nursing homes and long-term care facilities. President Trump is further endangering their long-term well-being and financial stability in favor of the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected with his payroll tax scheme.

"President Trump may be calling this a "tax holiday." In reality, this legally questionable executive action is nothing more than another GOP tax scam that hurts working families. They will still be forced to eventually pay these taxes, while the president's actions will decimate the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds in the meantime.

"This week marks 85 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 into law, in a different time of economic turmoil and hardship. It is in this spirit that House Democrats are fighting to protect the benefits Americans have earned against this unconscionable attack by the president."