The majority of Republican voters are concerned about potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare, according to polling conducted by Navigator Research.
Responding to a statement asking whether they were concerned regarding GOP plans for tax breaks being given to wealthy individuals and large corporations that would result in cuts to Social Security and Medicare, 61 percent of Republican respondents indicated they were either somewhat or very concerned.
The survey was conducted between February 15 and February 19 this year, polling 1,000 registered voters from across the country.
It also found that Democrats were unsurprisingly more concerned than Republicans, with 90 percent expressing concern, along with 78 percent of independents. Of those who voted for Biden in 2020 but have been disappointed with Biden’s economic record, 76 percent said they were concerned by GOP Social Security and Medicare plans.
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What to do over the looming funding cliff edge facing the Social Security Administration has been a growing contention point between lawmakers recently. In President Joe Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) address in the House chamber on Thursday, he accused the Republicans of wanting to “put Social Security on the chopping block.”
Addressing lawmakers, he said: “If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age I will stop them. Working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than millionaires and billionaires do. It’s not fair.”
While the polling was conducted prior to the SOTU speech, some Republicans have advocated for cuts to Social Security, the biggest benefits program in the U.S. On Thursday, the House Budget Committee Republicans advanced a resolution that includes support for a fiscal commission that would cut spending on welfare and healthcare programs. Newsweek has contacted the House Budget Committee for comment via X, formerly Twitter.
The plans have been slammed by Social Security advocates. “The commission is designed to slash vital earned benefits through a fast-track, closed-door process, intended to allow Republicans to avoid political accountability,” Social Security Works President Nancy Altman said, according to a report by Common Dreams. “Every Republican who voted for this budget voted to cut Social Security and Medicare.”
Last year, the House Republican Committee, a caucus of 176 House Republicans, proposed a myriad of changes to the welfare program for the 2024 fiscal year.
Among them, the group has advocated for raising the retirement age at which full Social Security benefits can be accessed to 69 and reducing amounts for those who earn over a certain threshold.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.