As reported in Vox, one of the opening battles of the Republican presidential primary—former President Donald Trump positioned himself as the only White House GOP hopeful who won’t cut Americans’ Social Security and Medicare benefits. 

But it’s an absurd proposition; because he’s made similar promises in the past, and they were lies.

In Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign he repeatedly pledged that he wouldn’t cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid but after he entered office, his pledge all but evaporated.

Each one of Trump’s White House budget proposals included cuts to Medicare and Social Security. 

The health care legislation he worked on with Republicans entailed big cuts to Medicaid and toward the end of his term, Trump said he’d consider making cuts to Medicare if he were re-elected as a way to cut the federal deficit, which had increased during his presidency. 

He didn’t succeed in these efforts, but it illustrated how he didn’t care about the issue except as a campaign promise. 

Trump knows where to place his political chips through his promises now, but it’s likely a trap  that possibly fewer Americans will fall for now. 

Over the summer, the familiar GOP refrain was repeated again and again—holding mostly senior Americans hostage once again by introducing the GOP “balanced budget” that included making cuts to the most popular American safety net—Social Security and Medicare. 

If the GOP has their way (and Trump would likely fall in line with them as he has proven in the past) many seniors could see a major reduction in lifetime benefits if the GOP plan is put into action through law. 

House GOP conservatives introduced the first of the proposals on June 14. 

One of the features of the Republican proposal is to raise the full retirement age (FRA) at which seniors are entitled to full benefits they are due. The proposal was unveiled June 14 by U.S. House conservatives, Bloomberg reported. One of its main features is to raise the full retirement age (FRA) at which seniors are entitled to the full benefits they are due.

Democrats on the other hand proposed numerous protections to Social Security through higher payroll taxes or reductions to benefits for the most wealthy Americans—but the GOP continues to focus on reducing benefits or even privatizing the program. 

Reported by GOBankingRates, “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News, that this was was only the “first step” in a broader Republican agenda that includes further cuts.

“This isn’t the end,” McCarthy said. “This doesn’t solve all the problems. We only got to look at 11% of the budget to find these cuts. We have to look at the entire budget. … The majority driver of the budget is mandatory spending. It’s Medicare, Social Security, interest on the debt.”

It’s no surprise that Republicans have been targeting cuts to Social Security and Medicare, the nation’s oldest program and promise to working Americans that their payroll investments and their healthcare would be for them as they age.

And in an election year, Republicans are careful to avoid the Social Security cut question, but, like Trump, once elected, the cuts to Social Security and Medicare will go back on the table and with a possible majority, will likely take center stage. 

Over the summer, House Republicans were demanding debt ceiling proposals that would essentially cut almost every federal agency. 

In one report, the Republicans spending cap would “freeze” spending at FY 2022 levels or, roughly 4.5 trillion.

According to reports, the Social Security Administration needs more funding, not less, and with the proposed cuts by the GOP over the summer, this would mean that SSA would not be able to effectively administer help for a decades long promise to working Americans—the most vulnerable, U.S. seniors.

Without SSA funding, Social Security claimants will suffer. 

Still, Republicans want to cut at least 23% from this vital program. According to the Washington Post report in 2017, 10,000 SSDI claimants died awaiting a chance to plead their disability cases. Covid has only increased those with claims for assistance. 

Reportedly, the Social Security Administration is one of the most fiscally responsible federal agencies and one that has managed to keep its administrative costs below 1%. 

Senior groups across the nation are rallying House Republicans to stop using the debt limit and holding Social Security “hostage.”

In Arizona many seniors are worried.

Tura Shope, a 70-year-old retired America West communications employee who lives near downtown Phoenix told Northeast Valley News, “Social Security is my money! I worked for it. Social Security and Medicare are non-negotiable. Anyone who uses them as leverage needs to be removed from office.”

Native Arizonan, Chris Butler is working part-time packaging groceries at a near to her home supermarket. 

Butler lives alone and says that Social Security is her only reliable income. 

“Social Security keeps a roof over my head—without it, I would literally be living on the street,” Butler said.

According to AARP the nation’s largest retiree organization and advocacy group, nearly one in five Arizonans and 45% of residents 65 years and older rely on the program for at least half of their income.