Time is running out to protect Medicare and Medicaid from relentless efforts by Republicans to weaken two of the most popular elements of our social fabric.
The president’s plan which was unveiled this week includes raising taxes on the super wealthy, but it also opens the door to damaging cuts to Medicare and Medicaid benefits. These programs are protected from cuts unless the so-called super committee votes to slash them to protect military spending and the wealthiest taxpayers. 1
A courageous stand by House Democrats is our best chance to stop White House-backed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
The Republican caucus in Congress remains committed to opposing tax increases. In fact, all six Republican members of the so-called super committee on deficit reduction have taken Grover Norquist’s pledge to oppose any increase in taxes. In the face of an implacable and unified opponent, Democrats must remain equally resolute in their defense of Medicare and Medicaid.2
The White House is calling for shared sacrifice, but believes shared sacrifice means levying taxes on the ultra-wealthy while cutting benefits for Medicare and Medicaid. We are not buying this attempt at balance.
The middle class and the working poor are already paying their fair share and suffering the most. It’s long past time to roll back the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest and the carried interest exception. We don’t have to pay for it by throwing the poor, seniors and women under the bus with cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
The deal presented Monday is just the Obama administration’s opening bid on deficit reduction. In the weeks ahead that deal will change and if history teaches us anything it’s that the deal will get worse, not better. Compromise will mean that Republicans get 90 percent of what they asked for and Democrats will be forced to choose between a terrible deal and no deal at all.
At CREDO, we understand that compromise is often required to make progress or prevent great damage. But there are some things in public life that are sacred — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security just to name three.
During the Congressional fight over health reform, we fought very hard for inclusion of a robust public option to private insurance as a compromise position compared to our belief in single payer health reform. We believed then and now that having a strong public option would have saved hundreds of billions of dollars that otherwise would be lost in private insurance overhead, waste and profits. When it came down to the wire, we were not going to compromise on the compromise. The House passed a public option, and the Senate came very close. This time we need to fight with even more tenacity.
The deficit committee is a farce. With all six Republicans on record opposing any tax increases, they cannot enter into good faith negotiations.
It would be better for the nation if the committee simply deadlocked and the triggered cuts which will affect both the defense budget as well as social programs were implemented, even though these cuts to social programs are unwarranted and painful. These triggered cuts do not include specific cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits and are more progressive than anything the Congress is likely to approve.3
We realize that some of our progressive allies are praising the president’s proposal. They believe that passing increased taxes on the rich to fund a much needed jobs program is more important than protecting Medicare and Medicaid. We believe both are possible and should be fought for rather than given away at the beginning. We believe that we should tax the richest Americans, fund jobs and protect Medicare and Medicaid.
If progressives hold the line on Medicare and Medicaid, and refuse to vote for benefits cuts, it will force the White House to push for a better deal that protects those historic and wildly popular programs. But if we fail to stand up now and if we allow cuts, it will open the door to more radical changes in the future.
Members of the Democratic caucus are under tremendous pressure to cave. They need to hear from us that we have their backs, and we want them to hold the line on cuts to Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Please join us in taking action today. We’ll deliver your signatures to the House Democratic caucus.
Here are some ways you can spread the word to make sure House Democrats get the message loud and clear.
If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall.
If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet:
Tell House Democrats: Vote NO on any deficit reduction plan that includes cuts to #Medicare or #Medicaid benefits. http://bit.ly/oVgSuI
Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
1. “Obama Unveils Deficit Reduction Plan, ‘Buffett Rule’ Tax On Millionaires,” Jim Kuhnhenn, Huffington Post, 09-19-2011.
2. “The GOP’s Not-So-Super Committee,”Alex Seitz-Wald, Pat Garofalo and Tanya Somanader, ThinkProgress, 08-10-2011
3. “Feingold To Press Dems To Abandon Any Unbalanced Super Committee Deal,” Brian Beutler, Talking Points Memo, 08-23-2011.
