Congressional candidates weigh in on entitlement reform
The 2018 midterm elections are less than a week away, and the future of programs such as Medicare and Social Security has become a key issue for congressional candidates.
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump said several times that he would not support cuts to Social Security or Medicare. However, Republican leaders in Congress have seemed to disagree, and eyed cuts to these programs as a potential way to reduce the federal budget deficit.
In December 2017, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who is set to retire after his current term ends, said in a radio interview that getting at entitlement reform is “how you tackle the debt and deficit … it’s the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that “the single biggest disappointment of my time in Congress has been our failure to address the entitlement issue.”
Congressional candidates in Pennsylvania have also had to grapple with this issue, as one Senate seat and all 18 of the state’s House of Representatives seats are on the ballot this year.
Digital First Media reached out to House candidates in the Philadelphia area and Senate candidates to ask them if they would support making cuts to Social Security or Medicare, and what their views on entitlement reform are.
U.S. Senate
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is seeking re-election to a third six-year term. He is being challenged by Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Green Party candidate Neal Gale, and Libertarian Dale Kerns.
Barletta said in an emailed statement that he has not and will not support any cuts to Social Security or Medicare for seniors.
“Despite the lies that Sen. Casey is running in his television ads, I have never and will never support ending or privatizing Social Security or Medicare. The truth is the Social Security Administration projects that by 2037, the Social Security reserve funds will run out. Medicare funds are expected to be exhausted by 2028,” Barletta said.
“Americans have spent their entire working years paying into these important programs through payroll taxes and it is important for members of Congress to ensure these critical programs are there for current retirees and future generations. In the Senate, I will do nothing to affect the benefits given to current seniors or anyone even close to retirement.
“The most important thing we can do to protect Social Security and Medicare is to grow the economy. Under the current administration, there are more jobs than people who are unemployed, which means we have more people paying in
Dale Kerns
to support these programs. Wages are again rising and the economy hit a 4.2 percent growth rate. By unleashing economic growth to broaden the tax base of workers paying into these programs, we can continue to support these critical programs for future generations.”
Gale said in an emailed statement that he will not support making cuts to Social Security and/or Medicare in order to reduce the federal budget deficit.
“The deficit is not a critical concern at this time, given that the United States is a sovereign nation, prints its own currency, maintains a floating exchange rate and doesn’t incur dept in foreign currencies. It cannot become insolvent,” Gale said.
“It can spend what it wants, independent of taxes collected. The deficit is only a problem when the interest rate assigned by the Federal Reserve Bank is greater than the GDP. And if that happens, the Fed can simply raise the interest rate.
“There is no real concern in financial terms. It is only a question of political will. I will support spending more of our budget (which itself is an instrument of political will, not strictly speaking, a matter of financial capability) on the public good. That would include expanding Medicare to cover all citizens and increasing Social Security benefits. I will not cut them under any circumstances.
“I believe those seeking entitlement reform are interested in distributing most our national wealth to those primarily at the upper end of the economic spectrum and reducing the flow of funds to those at the lower end. Again, this is a political decision, not a financial decision.
“I will work to re-prioritize our federal budget to create a baseline standard of living, below which no one may be allowed to fall. This is entirely possible from an economic standpoint. What we require are leaders at the federal level who are willing to push against the wealthiest and most powerful interests to make such a shift in priorities possible.”
Kerns said in an emailed statement that “any entitlement reform must begin with the proposition that we will not cut any amount from those who have paid into the system or on the receiving end. Millions of Americans have had their wages taken by the government with the guarantee that those investments would be waiting for them when they retire. However, under Republicans and Democrats, we have seen Social Security funds taken and used for other projects. This is completely unacceptable, and I am the only candidate in this year’s Senate race who has the true desire to save Social Security. This program is a ticking time bomb which has been poorly managed by the political establishment. So many have rightful concern that the program will not be there when they retire, and I intend to solve that problem.
“In order to guarantee Social Security continues to function, I support changing how we calculate accrual of benefits. They should be indexed to price inflation rather than wage growth. This would hold future benefits constant in real terms. In addition, I support the right of new entrants to the Social Security system to choose to put their benefits in personal accounts if they so wish, giving them more flexibility. If we do not confront the issues of Social Security and continue to follow the path of Democrats and Republicans, we will renege on the promises we have made to our workers. And we cannot let that happen.
“Medicare faces many of the same issues, as its current funding cannot possibly cover the benefits we have promised to workers. I support the allowance of Medical Savings Accounts for seniors who wish to explore new options in their healthcare. This would provide incentive and competition to control costs in healthcare, and offer even better benefits than in the status quo. “In general, entitlement reform must be taken seriously, but it must also be done with care and concern for those whom it can adversely affect. As I am not beholden to the special interests or party bosses, I am uniquely prepared to address entitlement spending without leaving any Americans behind. It is time that we try new solutions rather than those of the past which have only exacerbated the problem.”
According to Casey’s website, “As the ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Bob is particularly dedicated to making sure Americans have the resources they need to enjoy a secure retirement. Bob uses his positions on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Senate Special Committee on Aging to fight to strengthen Medicare for future generations. As Republicans push an agenda that threatens Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Bob is fighting back and doing everything he can to make sure America keeps its promises to seniors.
“During his time in the Senate, Bob has:
• Strengthened Medicare by limiting Part B premium hikes and creating a new physician payment process that focuses on quality rather than quantity of care.
• Led public meetings to help seniors spot and avoid senior-targeted scams.
• Been a champion for Medicaid, fighting attempts to cut funding or decimate the future of the program.
• Introduced the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act to help grandparents navigate their responsibilities as guardians as a result of the opioid epidemic and plan for their grandchildren’s future.
• Introduced legislation to prevent employers from discriminating on the basis of age, called the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA).
• Pushed for compensation for 70 million seniors, veterans and other beneficiaries who did not see a cost of living adjustment to their Social Security payments in the 2016 calendar year.”
U.S. House of Representatives
Earlier this year, Pennsylvania’s congressional map was redrawn after the state Supreme Court ruled the previous congressional map violated the state Constitution due to partisan gerrymandering.
There are open races with no incumbent in the newly drawn 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th congressional districts.
4th Congressional District
Democrat Madeleine Dean is running against Republican Dan David in the 4th Congressional District, which includes most of Montgomery County and a portion of Berks County.
According to Dean’s website, she “will not abandon Montgomery County’s seniors. She will make sure that those who have duti-
fully paid into our security net have access to Social Security and Medicare in their retirement. She will work to protect and expand Social Security and Medicare, and defend against attacks to these programs in the name of more tax cuts for the wealthy.”
David said on his website that “As a small business owner and consumer of health care, I see the cost of providing and accessing quality health care skyrocketing. Patients are the ones bearing the brunt of these costs in the form of higher premiums, co-pays, and prescription drug prices.
“The average family now faces $8,000 in out of pocket expenses above and beyond their premiums. The health care problems facing our nation today are the result of decades of ineffective public policy, a failure to pass meaningful tort reform and bad business practices.”
5th Congressional District
Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon is running against Republican Pearl Kim in the 5th Congressional District, which includes all of Delaware County and part of Southwest Philadelphia.
According to Scanlon’s website, she will “fight against cuts to the social safety network, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. She will support legislation to assist family caregivers and expand Medicare to include long-term care for the elderly and disabled, as an alternative to having to impoverish a family and rely on nursing home care.
“Mary Gay will also work to reduce prescription drug costs and protect seniors from price gouging by drug companies. She will work to maintain and expand the hard won protections for vulnerable seniors under the Nursing Home Reform Act, which are now imperiled by regulatory roll backs that undermine the quality and safety of care.”
According to Kim’s website, she “will not support any cuts to Medicare or Social Security for current beneficiaries. To keep both programs working, Pearl wants to keep our economy growing to fuel the benefits our retirees deserve. She can be counted on to protect Medicare, increase choices and make sure bureaucrats are never put in between doctors and seniors. She will never support raiding Social Security funds.”
6th Congressional District
Democrat Chrissy Houlahan is running against Republican Greg McCauley in the 6th Congressional District, which covers all of Chester County, and a portion of Berks County, including the City of Reading.
McCauley said in an emailed statement that he does not support decreasing Social Security or Medicare to balance the budget.
“In fact, I have an Immigration Plan that will restore the Social Security Trust Fund,” McCauley said.
“There are 25-30 million undocumented visitors living and working here. As a compassionate solution, we will issue Worker Visas (they pay a small fee) for a period of years. This is not amnesty, citizenship or a right to vote. That is a separate application. For the first time in 50 years, we will know who is here and where they live and work. We will collect $50$100 billion in tax revenue help to save Social Security and Medicare and help balance the budget. We can now secure our borders and keep the opioids out.”
Houlahan said on her website that “nearly half of all older Americans would be living below the poverty line without Social Security. This critical piece of America’s safety net is as important as ever, protecting 96 percent of our workers and their families. Millions rely on Medicare and Medicaid to help with the rising costs of long-term care, giving them a better chance at a healthier life.
“Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans in Congress want to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into an unstable voucher program that makes it easier for them to cut and run from.
“I have met with countless Pennsylvanians who are able to care for themselves and live meaningful lives today thanks to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It is critical that we stand up and fight to protect Social Security and Medicare for this generation and the next.”
7th Congressional District
Democrat Susan Wild, Republican Marty Nothstein and Libertarian Tim Silfies are running in the 7th Congressional District, which includes all of Lehigh and Northampton counties and a portion of Monroe County.
Wild said in an emailed statement, “I will never support cuts to Medicare and Social Security, these are earned benefits that our seniors have paid into their whole lives. Efforts from Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to cut these vital programs in order to pay for their massive tax cut bill are unacceptable. It is essential we protect our seniors.”
Silfies said in an emailed statement that “The establishment political parties have saddled us with more than 21 trillion dollars in debt, and commitments out to the horizon that we will be unable to keep. We should not pull the rug out from anyone, and we have a moral obligation to provide for current seniors and those who have been paying into these systems for many years. That said, we also have no choice but to have an adult conversation about ways to reform programs like Social Security and Medicare if they will be sustainable for the future.”
Nothstein said on his website that the nation’s health care policy must “address the drivers of high costs - defensive medicine (need lawsuit / tort reform), lower costs from nationwide insurance company competition, and requiring drug costs to be disclosed in advertising.
The midterm elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.