Sunday, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock joined House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Cory Booker at the U.S. Capitol steps as the Democrats fight tooth-and-nail to prevent Congressional Republicans from cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits. This part of the GOP’s larger budget package.
During a recent town hall in Cobb County, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene promised permanent tax cuts while protecting Social Security and Medicare. She also pledged to reduce the tax burden on working families.
“Guess what? No one is taking away anyone’s Medicare,” Greene said April 15th. “That’s a lie that is being held by the Democrats, and unfortunately, the media is helping them tell it. No one is losing Medicare. No one is losing Social Security and no one’s benefits are being taken away. And I can tell you for a fact, no one has lost their Social Security.”
President Donald Trump pledged to keep benefits. House Speaker Mike Johnson says no one will lose benefits.
“I have made clear … that we are not going to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,” said Johnson. “Anyone who is a lawful beneficiary of those programs will continue to receive them. What we’re trying to do at the same time is root out fraud, waste, and abuse.”
However, Johnson did say he pledges to follow the recommendations from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
“The government’s one big pyramid scheme if you ask me,” Musk told podcaster Joe Rogan. “It’s the biggest scam in history. Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office, Social Security and Medicare account for about 40% of all federal spending excluding interest on the national debt.
Who would be most affected?
Currently, persons paying payroll taxes aren’t eligible to receive Social Security benefits until they turn 62, or Medicare until they turn 65. Nearly 1.5 million people in Georgia receive SNAP benefits – one out of every eight residents – as of January 2025. A recent study estimates SNAP cuts could cost Georgia’s economy $653.3 million in benefits. Plus, 8.6 million people in Georgia would see their Social Security benefits cut, according to the House Republican Budget Committee.
One of the ways Republicans are planning to cut Social Security benefits is by raising the retirement age for Americans 59 and younger. For example, this action cuts Social Security benefits for up to 630,000 people in Georgia’s 5th Congressional District.
“Here’s why you know they’re not telling the truth. I offered up a bill on the Senate floor as they were passing the budget resolution that said: ‘what we commit as a Senate body, that we will not cut anybody’s coverage for Medicaid. If they were really going after waste, fraud, and abuse and were committed to not cutting people’s coverage … They would have voted yes on my amendment,” says Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock.
Also, President Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Republicans are seeking ways to slash $1.5 trillion from government programs — a large chunk of which must come from federal health programs.
“They want to balance it on the backs of our children by taking away nutrition programs,” says U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, a Democrat from Nevada. “Cutting the social safety net for our families by making social security and veterans weaker, and all to give tax breaks, permanent tax breaks to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.”
U.S. Senator Ossoff backs the idea of impeaching President Trump … with a caveat
During his town hall in Marietta, U.S. Senator Ossoff was asked why he hasn’t formally backed the idea of impeaching President Donald J. Trump. An attendee rose up and asked Ossoff the following:
“Why are there no calls for impeachment? This is unacceptable. I will not live in an authoritative country, and neither will any of these people. You can do more, think outside the box. You. He needs to be impeached. I will not live like this.”
“There is no doubt that this president’s conduct has already exceeded any prior standard for impeachment by the United States House of Representatives,” Ossoff told the audience.
While the Republican-led U.S. House has largely yielded its power to the President, Ossoff agreed with the attendee, but leveled with her in the process.
“I agree with you, but as I said at the beginning, I also have no choice but to be candid with you about the situation that we face and the tools that are at our disposal,” Ossoff said. “As strongly as I agree with you, ma’am, and I regret if this is an unwelcome response, but my job is to be honest with you. The only way to achieve what you want to achieve is to have a majority in the United States House of Representatives. I’m working on it every single day, every single day, and I want to work creatively with you to identify more solutions, more that I can do. And let’s make sure that a member of my team contacts you so we can continue the conversation.”