Sens. Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Publicly Commit To Protecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid

Targeted News Service (Press Releases)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release:

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- Last week, President Trump said he'd consider cutting Medicare & Social Security to pay for his tax scam, which has been a handout to corporations at the expense of workers

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Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined their Democratic colleagues in demanding Donald Trump retract the alarming threats he made last week concerning cutting earned benefits like Medicare or Social Security to pay for his tax scam, which has been a handout to corporations at the expense of workers.

"As a presidential candidate, you promised the American people that you would not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. In fact, you criticized your political opponents for failing to make the same promise. Not only have you broken that promise, you have waged an all-out assault on Medicaid," the senators wrote. "Attempting to make up the trillion-dollar deficit created by your tax law on the backs of hard-working Americans would be a betrayal to all who consider these programs a lifeline. American workers who for decades have paid into Social Security and Medicare should not be forced to relinquish their health and retirement security to pay for your tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations."

Despite Republican claims that their scam bill was a tax cut for working people, it has proven to be nothing more than a giveaway to corporations and the wealthy. It has also exploded the deficit - which Republicans have planned all along to use as their justification for cutting the benefits hard-working Americans have earned. Wyden. Merkley and their colleagues are demanding Trump publicly commit to protecting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for the remainder of his presidency.

Joining Wyden and Merkley in sending the letter are U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Ben Cardin, D-Md., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Chris Coons, D-Del., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Edward Markey, D-Mass., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.