Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
As part of an event with the Wall Street Journal and corporate leaders, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD) — a leading Democrat and ranking member of the House Budget Committee — indicated that he thinks cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits should be part of the upcoming deficit negotiations:
On Capitol Hill, it isn’t clear how strenuously Democrats will resist cutting entitlements. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) said he and others were open to changes as long as they were done in a measured way and were part of deal that included tax increases. Mr. Van Hollen also said changing Social Security and increasing the Medicare eligibility age above 65 should be part of negotiations.
“I’m willing to consider all of these ideas as part of an overall plan,” Mr. Van Hollen said Tuesday at the Journal’s CEO Council.
American voters were very clear during last week’s election: they do not want any cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits (and keep in mind Social Security adds nothing to the deficit, anyway).
Are you INSANE?
NO CUTS IN ELIGIBILITY, CPI, OR BENEFITS.
NO cuts in SS, SNAP, LIHEAP or COLA.
NONE.
Monthly (level billing) Utility prices ALONE
have DOUBLED over the past three years!
-Have Social Security benefits (our ONLY income; NO assets)?
no way! Keep your hands of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and all the other programs that help the unemployed, the poor, schools and hungry kids.
I get Social Security Disability and Medicare. I need these to survive, I have no other source of income. I worked hard all my life, in my last job I was an EMT, I worked very hard helping people for many years, a lot of lifting and moving heavy patients. Finally my body shut down, after all those repetitive movements caused damage in my body and all those many injuries big and small, left my unable to walk more that 2 minutes or stand straight or sit longer than 30 minutes without pain, and very poor. I’m in pain 24/7, no medication or therapy takes my pain away.
What does raising the age at which people are eligible to receive retirement benefits have to do with your disability? They’re calling it a fiscal cliff for a reason. Taxes alone won’t solve the problem.
The fiscal cliff is a crisis that the Republicans created merely because they refused to compromise on raising the debt ceiling. The debt problem that this nation has is due to Republican ideology. The people who need Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid did NOT create the problem. They do NOT deserve to be penalized because of the Republican obstructionism that initiated the problem.
Let’s begin by cutting congressional healthcare and pensions, first. When Mr. Van Hollen has achieved that, then he can begin performing other impossible miracles!
Absolutely zero cuts to anything middle-class till the Bush tax cuts are dead in its entrety and no window-dressing “loopholes.” No to 2.5:1 sweetheart deal from 2011 that Timothy Geithner wants. No, No, No. If Bush tax cuts are gone, then, maybe, we will see what to do…
No changes to SS or Medicare.
Okay Chris, I’ll back your cuts IF members of congress cut theor pay to minimum wage; IF members of congress change from the cadillac health plan now available to them to one with the same exact benefits as Medicare. THEN I’ll consider taking a cut to Social Security, which I’ve paid into for 50 years; THEN I’ll consider tking a cut to my Medicare benefits, Which I’ve paid into since its inception. BUT not yuntil AFTER congress takes the cuts I previously mentioned. Oh yeah – and NO RETIREMENT package unless you have served a minimum of 10 years in either the house or senate. After all, i had to wait almost 50 years to retire, why should you be any different?
The Congress does not have any “cadillac health plan.” The new Affordable Health Care Act is comparable to what all Federal employees get in regard to health care.
Retirement benefits for members of Congress are no different than any other Federal employee and no one is eligible for retirement until they are at least 55 years old and have 30 years of Federal service.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Social Security does not affect the deficit at all…and…THERE IS A SURPLUS!!!! Extend Social Security by getting rid of the cap so EVERYBODY pays into it, don’t cut benefits. There are millionaires today collecting a social security check, but they didn’t pay into it beyond $100,000.
As for Medicare, how am I supposed to get any healthcare coverage even UP TO 65? And you want to make it more difficult and more expensive?
We need UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE in this country. What we don’t need is to make it more difficult for seniors to get decent healthcare.
Mr. Van Hollen, MANY Tea Party candidates lost in this election. WHY ARE YOU STILL PLAYING TO THEIR PARTY LINE?
STOP IT!!!!!
Why is it that people who advocate raising the age for eligibility for Social Security and Medicare are those who have the luxury of working in air conditioned office buildings. If they will work in the fields under the hot Florida sun day in and day out, then they have a right to make such a proposal.
Let me remind Chris Van Hollen that Dwight Eisenhower (yes, a Republican) said that no one should ever even consider abolishing Social Security.
The middle & lower classes have been raped by Laffer Curve Economics over the last 32 years. E-FUCKING-NUFF!
1) Progressive Income Tax Structure like we had in the Carter Administration
2) Lose the SS CAP.
3) If you make over $500,000 a year you must go without a SS check. The poor & middle class have carried the load for 32 years. It is your turn to contribute
4) Legalize, tax & regulate marijuana. Hard drug use plummets when people don’t have to go to a dealer that is offering the hard stuff. Lot’s of money generated for health care.