Joe Rodriguez is a San Benito resident, a local citizen watchdog, and a former candidate for the San Benito City Commission.
If the Republican Party and Trump retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, they plan to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in January 2027.
Republican House leader Mike Johnson said on a radio show that they have a plan to do all of that because Trump and the Republicans consider Social Security and Medicare “entitlements.”
The exact quote was “entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have to be adjusted and fixed.” “Adjusted and fixed” serves as a euphemism for “benefit cuts.”
As Mike Johnson asserts, we are in trouble because analyses from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and congressional budget reports indicate that major Republican tax legislation—including the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and subsequent legislative extensions—has cost or is projected to cost between $1.7 trillion and $4.5 trillion in federal revenue, depending on the specific package and time frame evaluated.
The Republican One Big Beautiful Bill (ionaire) Act (OBBBA), signed on July 4, 2025, is projected to reduce federal tax revenue by $4.4 trillion to $5.2 trillion over a 10-year window (2025–2034) on a conventional basis.
Another reason we are in trouble is that the war in Iran is costing the United States between $890 million and $1 billion per day, according to estimates from independent think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Some public finance experts estimate the daily burden as high as $2 billion per day.
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are not entitlements; they are a basic human right that allows American workers to use the money we have paid our entire working lives to keep us healthy and alive by going to the doctor or a hospital without ending up filing for bankruptcy. Americans on Social Security and Medicare should not have to choose between going to the doctor and buying groceries.
Social Security is not a handout. You work for decades, and FICA taxes are deducted from paycheck to paycheck.
When you finally retire, Republican politicians call it a “government benefit.” Wrong! We paid into the Social Security/Medicare System our entire working life. It’s not a charity handout; it’s a benefit we earned.
Republicans’ impression of people on Social Security and Medicare is that they are “living high on the hog.” We all paid into Social Security and Medicare; it’s our money, and we continue to pay for Medicare out of our Social Security check every month, which is ridiculous. My monthly Medicare payment is close to $200.
Trump and the Republicans campaigned on the promise to not touch Social Security and Medicare. They lied; they already cut all of those things. They cut Medicare when they cut away the prescription drug subsidy and they cut social security. They cut the prescription drug subsidy and now people are going to be paying more money for prescriptions.
Republicans said they would not cut Medicaid to U.S. citizens; they lied. They now want people who have cancer to prove every single month that they’re too sick to go to work. Otherwise, they need to work 80 hours a month to keep getting their benefits or they won’t be able to be treated for cancer.
If you try to sign up for Social Security now, you will find that it’s a mess. Republicans have cut funding to offices so people no longer have offices close enough to drive to. They cut funding so that people cannot get through on the phone when they need to.
Customer service and operations at the Social Security Administration deteriorated during Donald Trump’s second term amid workforce reductions and restructuring. The changes led to surging backlogs, increased call volumes, and new verification hurdles for beneficiaries.
And if republicans actually refuse to fund the social security fund that we have now, people could lose up to $500 out of their checks every month.
Republicans want social security to burn so that they can then hand it over to Wall Street like trump wants to, Republicans have wanted for decades to get their hands on our social security money so they can play with it on the stock market. They say that the federal government doesn’t know how to handle the fund.
But, if they hand over the money to Wall Street, we are screwed. The entire point of social security was that it was supposed to be secure and not gambled away.
Democratic lawmakers have positioned themselves in direct opposition to Republican structural cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Their alternative strategy focuses entirely on increasing revenue from high earners and corporations (who Republicans cut their taxes and made the cuts permanent).
The Democrats’ strategy will extend the solvency of federal programs, alongside expanding program benefits by raising or eliminating the Tax Cap on Social Security.
In 2026, the maximum amount of earned income subject to Social Security payroll tax is $184,500. Anyone earning above this amount stops paying the 6.2% employee Social Security tax once their cumulative wages cross the threshold.
That is why the ultra-wealthy tech founders accumulate billions in stock appreciation and capital gains because capital gains are exempt from Social Security taxes which apply strictly to earned wage/salary income. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, collects a salary of just $80,000 per year.
High-profile Democratic proposals, such as those pushed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), call for eliminating the Payroll Tax Cap entirely. This would subject all high-earner income to the payroll tax, ensuring that wealthier individuals pay the tax on 100% of their earnings including Capital Gains.
The Social Security Expansion Act is a proposed U.S. federal legislative bill that aims to increase monthly Social Security benefits and extend the financial solvency of the program by levying new taxes on high earners. (More on the Democrats’ SS Expansion Act next week).
The payroll tax pauses at the standard cap but re-apply to all wages, salaries, and self-employment earnings exceeding $250,000 or $400,000. Budget watchdogs estimate this change alone could extend the program’s trust fund solvency by up to 32 years.
If Republicans tell you they intend to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, believe them!
Vote wisely.