SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"If our economy is as prosperous as President Trump claims," writes Richtman, "then why are so many citizens cutting pills or forgoing the groceries they need to feed their families?" (Photo: Getty)
Trump's State of the Union Belies His Destructive Policies on Social Security, Prescription Drugs
For a president who seeks re-election, he clearly is on the wrong side of these life and death issues.
Feb 05, 2020
President Trump paid lip service to preserving Social Security in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but obscured his true intentions regarding a program that covers 178 million workers--and which another 64 million Americans depend on for basic financial security. The President owed it to current and future seniors to honestly explain his plans for Social Security, including his recent comments that he would consider cutting 'entitlements' because it's "the easiest of all things." But by failing to be forthright, President Trump tacitly empowers fiscal hawks who want to slash and privatize the program, while breaking his campaign promise to protect seniors' earned benefits.
"We will always protect your Social Security," said the President, while his administration works to undermine the program. President Trump's 2020 budget would cut $25 billion from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) over ten years. He also has proposed a new rule that would make it harder for current SSDI beneficiaries to continue collecting benefits. Meanwhile, his past budgets would have deprived the beleaguered Social Security Administration of the funding it needs to improve customer service to seniors and people with disabilities. None of this amounts to "protecting" Social Security.
His administration will continue to favor the wealthy and large corporations, while targeting Americans' earned benefits and tearing away at the social safety net.
The President claimed that the economy is "the strongest it's ever been"--an assertion that has already been proven false by fact-checkers. But in touting the current economy, the President fails to appreciate the $1.6 trillion in annual economic stimulus that Social Security benefits provide to communities across the country. He should know that cutting Social Security would hurt the vaunted 'Trump economy.'
The President also was not forthcoming Tuesday night about his efforts to reduce prescription drug prices--another crucial issue for seniors living on fixed incomes. "I'm calling for... legislation that... dramatically lower(s) prescription drug prices," he said. But President Trump has failed to support a bill to allow Medicare to negotiate costs directly with Big Pharma. As if to remind him, Democrats chanted "H.R. 3!," the drug pricing legislation that passed the House in December, which Mitch McConnell pronounced dead on arrival in the Senate. If President Trump were serious about lowering prescription prices, he would support a bill that the Congressional Budget Office says would save Medicare some $350 billion in drug costs.
Meanwhile, President Trump has yet to demonstrate a willingness to take on Big Pharma in a meaningful way, preferring to work around the edges. The administration's own proposals have been weak, tossed out by the courts, or withdrawn.
If our economy is as prosperous as President Trump claims, then why are so many citizens cutting pills or forgoing the groceries they need to feed their families? We must take concrete action now to lower exorbitant drug prices. Congress should pass meaningful prescription drug legislation now, and President Trump should sign it into law.
President Trump did little tonight to reassure seniors and their families that he will protect their financial and health security. His administration will continue to favor the wealthy and large corporations, while targeting Americans' earned benefits and tearing away at the social safety net. For a president who seeks re-election, he clearly is on the wrong side of these life and death issues.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Max Richtman
Max Richtman is president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. He is former staff director at the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.
President Trump paid lip service to preserving Social Security in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but obscured his true intentions regarding a program that covers 178 million workers--and which another 64 million Americans depend on for basic financial security. The President owed it to current and future seniors to honestly explain his plans for Social Security, including his recent comments that he would consider cutting 'entitlements' because it's "the easiest of all things." But by failing to be forthright, President Trump tacitly empowers fiscal hawks who want to slash and privatize the program, while breaking his campaign promise to protect seniors' earned benefits.
"We will always protect your Social Security," said the President, while his administration works to undermine the program. President Trump's 2020 budget would cut $25 billion from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) over ten years. He also has proposed a new rule that would make it harder for current SSDI beneficiaries to continue collecting benefits. Meanwhile, his past budgets would have deprived the beleaguered Social Security Administration of the funding it needs to improve customer service to seniors and people with disabilities. None of this amounts to "protecting" Social Security.
His administration will continue to favor the wealthy and large corporations, while targeting Americans' earned benefits and tearing away at the social safety net.
The President claimed that the economy is "the strongest it's ever been"--an assertion that has already been proven false by fact-checkers. But in touting the current economy, the President fails to appreciate the $1.6 trillion in annual economic stimulus that Social Security benefits provide to communities across the country. He should know that cutting Social Security would hurt the vaunted 'Trump economy.'
The President also was not forthcoming Tuesday night about his efforts to reduce prescription drug prices--another crucial issue for seniors living on fixed incomes. "I'm calling for... legislation that... dramatically lower(s) prescription drug prices," he said. But President Trump has failed to support a bill to allow Medicare to negotiate costs directly with Big Pharma. As if to remind him, Democrats chanted "H.R. 3!," the drug pricing legislation that passed the House in December, which Mitch McConnell pronounced dead on arrival in the Senate. If President Trump were serious about lowering prescription prices, he would support a bill that the Congressional Budget Office says would save Medicare some $350 billion in drug costs.
Meanwhile, President Trump has yet to demonstrate a willingness to take on Big Pharma in a meaningful way, preferring to work around the edges. The administration's own proposals have been weak, tossed out by the courts, or withdrawn.
If our economy is as prosperous as President Trump claims, then why are so many citizens cutting pills or forgoing the groceries they need to feed their families? We must take concrete action now to lower exorbitant drug prices. Congress should pass meaningful prescription drug legislation now, and President Trump should sign it into law.
President Trump did little tonight to reassure seniors and their families that he will protect their financial and health security. His administration will continue to favor the wealthy and large corporations, while targeting Americans' earned benefits and tearing away at the social safety net. For a president who seeks re-election, he clearly is on the wrong side of these life and death issues.
Max Richtman
Max Richtman is president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. He is former staff director at the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.
President Trump paid lip service to preserving Social Security in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but obscured his true intentions regarding a program that covers 178 million workers--and which another 64 million Americans depend on for basic financial security. The President owed it to current and future seniors to honestly explain his plans for Social Security, including his recent comments that he would consider cutting 'entitlements' because it's "the easiest of all things." But by failing to be forthright, President Trump tacitly empowers fiscal hawks who want to slash and privatize the program, while breaking his campaign promise to protect seniors' earned benefits.
"We will always protect your Social Security," said the President, while his administration works to undermine the program. President Trump's 2020 budget would cut $25 billion from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) over ten years. He also has proposed a new rule that would make it harder for current SSDI beneficiaries to continue collecting benefits. Meanwhile, his past budgets would have deprived the beleaguered Social Security Administration of the funding it needs to improve customer service to seniors and people with disabilities. None of this amounts to "protecting" Social Security.
His administration will continue to favor the wealthy and large corporations, while targeting Americans' earned benefits and tearing away at the social safety net.
The President claimed that the economy is "the strongest it's ever been"--an assertion that has already been proven false by fact-checkers. But in touting the current economy, the President fails to appreciate the $1.6 trillion in annual economic stimulus that Social Security benefits provide to communities across the country. He should know that cutting Social Security would hurt the vaunted 'Trump economy.'
The President also was not forthcoming Tuesday night about his efforts to reduce prescription drug prices--another crucial issue for seniors living on fixed incomes. "I'm calling for... legislation that... dramatically lower(s) prescription drug prices," he said. But President Trump has failed to support a bill to allow Medicare to negotiate costs directly with Big Pharma. As if to remind him, Democrats chanted "H.R. 3!," the drug pricing legislation that passed the House in December, which Mitch McConnell pronounced dead on arrival in the Senate. If President Trump were serious about lowering prescription prices, he would support a bill that the Congressional Budget Office says would save Medicare some $350 billion in drug costs.
Meanwhile, President Trump has yet to demonstrate a willingness to take on Big Pharma in a meaningful way, preferring to work around the edges. The administration's own proposals have been weak, tossed out by the courts, or withdrawn.
If our economy is as prosperous as President Trump claims, then why are so many citizens cutting pills or forgoing the groceries they need to feed their families? We must take concrete action now to lower exorbitant drug prices. Congress should pass meaningful prescription drug legislation now, and President Trump should sign it into law.
President Trump did little tonight to reassure seniors and their families that he will protect their financial and health security. His administration will continue to favor the wealthy and large corporations, while targeting Americans' earned benefits and tearing away at the social safety net. For a president who seeks re-election, he clearly is on the wrong side of these life and death issues.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.