ICYMI: Boyle on Republican Budget: "House Democrats are here to fight them every step of the way."

Apr 17, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan F. Boyle, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, joined a press conference hosted by House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse on the Republican Study Committee's (RSC) backward budget.

 

The RSC's 2025 budget, which represents the values held by 80 percent of House Republicans and 100 percent of their leadership, would gut Social Security and end Medicare as we know it while raising costs for middle-class families. At the same time, the RSC budget would continue showering the ultra-rich and big corporations with massive tax cuts.

Ranking Member Boyle’s remarks as delivered:

 

Thank you, Joe. And thanks to my great colleagues.

 

Pramila and Annie and I worked together last year successfully to make sure we avoided default and I'm proud to be with them and Joe in this effort to raise more attention on the Republican budget.

 

Now, let me be clear. This is a budget that was released by the Republican Study Committee: 80 percent of House Republicans and 100 percent of Republican leadership are members of the Republican Study Committee.

 

Every single Republican except for one on the House Budget Committee is a member of the Republican Study Committee. So this is clearly the Republican budget. And what does it do?

 

Right there, in black and white, it cuts Social Security for every American who is currently 59 years of age or younger by raising the retirement age.

 

The retirement age is already going up. The full retirement age today is 66 and a half. It will soon be 67. How high do they want to go? 70? 72?

 

In their budget is a clear, black and white cut for over 250 million Americans who will come to rely on Social Security. But that's not all in the Republican budget.

 

They propose to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a voucher program. I keep hearing that Paul Ryan economics is a thing of the past on the other side. Clearly not. Right there in their budget is the end of Medicare.

 

So I would like to help my Republican friends get a little more attention for their crazy ideas. Because they're dangerous. These devastating cuts to Social Security and Medicare would impact almost every American family. Certainly the families that I represent in North and Northeast Philadelphia and many places beyond.

 

The good news is that House Democrats are here to fight them every step of the way. But let's be clear: If they're putting out their plan, we should believe them. This is what they plan to do if we don't fight back and stop them.

 

Thank you.

 

Background:

  • House Republicans have said that their goal is to raise the retirement age for every American 59 and younger. If House Republicans make their plans a reality with this budget, 257 million (3 in 4) Americans would see their Social Security benefits cut. Click here for data from House Budget Committee Democrats showing the impact of these cuts in every state and congressional district.

     

  • While Republicans continue to attack Social Security and Medicare, Ranking Member Brendan F. Boyle and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse have introduced the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act. This legislation would extend the solvency of Social Security and Medicare indefinitely by making the nation's highest earners contribute their fair share, as verified by the Chief Actuaries of the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

     

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