Project 2025 and Trump on Social Security and Medicare

I posted Musical question for today exactly one year ago. The impulse that made me write that is motivating me to post about something personal related to the anniversary of the same event.* I begin with Verify claiming No, Project 2025 doesn’t propose eliminating Social Security benefits.

Contrary to online claims, Project 2025 doesn’t call for ending Social Security benefits. But the Heritage Foundation has advocated for changes to the program.

By fact-checking for "eliminating Social Security benefits," Verify minimizes the risk to the program and its beneficiaries. To their credit, they do point out that people behind Project 2025 have advocated raising the retirement age and privatizing Social Security. Both of those will weaken Social Security and harm its beneficiaries.

Via KREM 2 News, they do much the same for convicted criminal Donald Trump in VERIFY | Does former President Trump want to cut social security benefits?

The campaign is in full swing and many people have questions about statements Kamala Harris has been making at her rallies.

"Currently" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. He may not favor cutting Social Security now, but he talked out of both sides of his mouth about the issue in the past. Watch and listen to CNN Trump made promises to never touch Social Security. Hear what he thinks about it now to hear that history, including the quote first Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris and Tim Walz seized upon.

CNN's Abby Phillip breaks down what former President Donald Trump has said about federal entitlement programs in the past after Trump suggests he is open to making cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Then, she is joined by former Obama adviser Dan Pfieffer.

Pay attention to what Trump has done, not just what he said. As Phieffer noted, his administration proposed cutting Social Security and Medicare in every budget he proposed. Fortunately, Congress didn't go along then, although the current Speaker of the House favors them. Here's to hoping we don't have to find out if the next Congress would go along with that plan.

Follow over the jump for the latest on Trump's ideas on Social Security and Medicare.

Trump has made a new campaign promise, which Ali Velshi fact-checked in ‘It’s just a scam’: The real truth about Trump's no tax on tips or social security pledge.

Brendan Duke, Senior Director of Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, joins MSNBC’s Ali Velshi to explain why Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts on tips and Social Security are the “Trump University of tax plans” that would provide “tax cuts for the wealthy, pennies for low- and middle-income families.”

Velshi pointed out the same thing I did about Trump's "sir" stories.

As for The Former Guy including the detail about people, particularly, "big, strong men," crying, I consider it a tell that he's BSing or lying (there is a difference, but both involve not telling the truth) right up with with them addressing him as "Sir." Not only that, but both also mark this as a story in service to his ego and image. Don't believe any story that contains either.

Not only is it BS that won't work as advertised, it will make Social Security and Medicare's fiscal situation worse, as Maria "Money Honey" Bartiromo, pointed out, and result in cuts to both programs sooner than if nothing were done, as Brendan Duke described. Along with no taxes on tips, both will benefit the wealthy more than the middle and working classes.

Coming full circle to where I started this entry, Verify also has a fact check on Project 2025’s proposals for Medicaid and Medicare: What we can VERIFY.

Questions are still pouring in about Project 2025. We got numerous texts and emails asking if Project 2025 proposes cuts to Medicare or Medicaid. We read through the proposal to get you the answer.

Again, the focus on cutting Medicare minimizes the risk, because the verified proposal to repeal the government's power to negotiate drug prices and privatizing Medicare by making Medicare Advantage plans the default instead of the federal government directly would both weaken Medicare and harm its beneficiaries, much like Project 2025's proposals for Social Security. On the other hand, Verify confirms that Project 2025 proposes cuts to Medicaid. That's much more straight-forward than proposals that will weaken the service without actually cutting its funds.

That's a wrap for today's entry that will be good to share in October. Stay tuned to see if I post a Sunday entertainment feature or celebrate the Autumnal Equinox along with all the other holidays that fall on it, like World Rhino Day, Hobbit Day, National Elephant Appreciation Day, and Car Free Day. Maybe I'll combine the two, like I did in last year's 'VICE News Tonight' leads nominations for Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage at the News & Doc Emmy Awards on the Autumnal Equinox. Return tomorrow to see!

*Click on Company Man explains the song rights to 'Happy Birthday' for the 13th birthday of the blog for another hint about which event prompted me to write about Social Security and Medicare today. Now, please excuse me as I check my Facebook timeline. I expect to have a lot of notifications to respond to.