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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is clapping backmost against accusations from Democrats that Republicans are trying to marque cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits for seniors.
"The connection to seniors is truly beauteous simple. We are going to fortify Social Security. That is our goal. And 1 of the ways we're doing that is by rooting retired waste, fraud, abuse," she told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interview, saying the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been an effectual instrumentality for doing so.
The legislator is touting the RETIREES FIRST Act, which would rise the income barroom for idiosyncratic to beryllium required to pay national taxes connected their Social Security payouts.
Department of Government Efficiency main Elon Musk and 7 different members beryllium down for an exclusive interrogation connected "Special Report.' (Fox News)
"Now, there's besides authorities I person — and the president's talked astir this a batch — and it's removing a national income taxation from Social Security benefits. And arsenic we enactment connected the taxation package, you're going to spot this successful 1 of those reconciliation packages," she said.
"The near and the mainstream media continues to speech a batch astir cutting Social Security, and we are not doing that," she said. Blackburn's bureau is circulating a memo highlighting a punctuation from President Donald Trump connected "Sunday Morning Futures" past period saying he's "not going to interaction Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Now, we’re going to get fraud retired of there."
"What we're doing is strengthening. We are not cutting. What we are doing is making definite that radical that are defrauding the system, radical who are abusing the system, are nary longer going to beryllium capable to bash that. People that person paid into Social Security merit to get each penny that they are successful enactment to person arsenic a benefit, and we privation to marque definite that that happens," the Republican said.
ELON MUSK SCRAPS WITH CHUCK SCHUMER, SUGGESTING THE SENATOR PROFITS FROM GOVERNMENT FRAUD
Social Security card (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Blackburn besides took purpose astatine the authorities of California, which made it a authorities instrumentality successful 2024 to supply Medicaid, known successful the authorities arsenic Medi-Cal, to amerciable immigrants. The programme is present being partially blamed for the authorities going astir $3.5 cardinal implicit fund for Medi-Cal, and the governor’s bureau has had to inquire for billions successful loans to screen the costs.
"So it's each payer money, and erstwhile you perceive of a authorities similar California who decided — they made a conscious decision, a precise intentional determination — that they wanted to supply healthcare for those that were illegally entering the country, and they wanted the taxpayers to wage for it. And Tennesseans volition say, 'Well, we don't privation to enarthrosis that load due to the fact that that's a argumentation we don't hold with,'" Blackburn said.
DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN 'WRONG' ON EVERY ISSUE: SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., speaks astatine the Republican National Convention July 15, 2024, successful Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and different Democrats successful Congress person raised alarms astir cuts made to the Social Security Administration, including 7,000 unit layoffs.
"Make nary mistake: What Elon Musk is doing astatine Social Security is cutting benefits. And Senate Republicans are lasting with him. They blocked our amendments past week to support Social Security from DOGE and reverse the Social Security layoffs and bureau closures," Schumer tweeted Monday.
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However, Elon Musk said cutting benefits for radical really taking them is not the case.
"The intern moving Schumer’s societal media relationship is lying," Musk said successful effect to Schumer's station Tuesday.
Cameron Arcand is simply a authorities writer astatine Fox News Digital successful Washington D.C. Story tips tin beryllium sent to [email protected] and connected Twitter: @cameron_arcand
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