Paul Ryan: Oh, hey, since we can't destroy Medicaid, let's go ahead and privatize Medicare

Rss@dailykos.com (joan Mccarter) · Tuesday, July 18, 2017, 3:56 pm

While Obamacare repeal—and the destruction of Medicaid—continues to crumble around Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's feet, House Speaker Paul Ryan is going back to his tried-and-true efforts to try to destroy Medicare. And this time around, Social Security is in his sights, too.

The proposal calls for more than $200 billion in cuts to mandatory programs. It also serves “as a vehicle for changing taxes,” CNN reports, which is “the primary legislative focus of the 2018 budget.”

“In past years, our proposals had little chance of becoming a reality because we faced a Democratic White House,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black in a statement. “But now with a Republican Congress and a Republican administration, now is the time to put forward a governing document with real solutions to address our biggest challenges.”

The spending plan will likely face hurdles within the Republican Party: While it may alleviate concerns from deficit hawks and fiscal conservatives, it may also receive pushback from moderate Republicans for the entitlement cuts.

Yes, it’s safe to say that moderate Republicans might be a bit concerned about having to take more votes on destroying the social safety net while slashing taxes for the wealthy. Because that wasn't a problem for them at all in Obamacare repeal. That's a great way to lead into 2018.

One little problem for Ryan is that the budget assumes Obamacare repeal, which isn't happening. It includes Medicaid cuts beyond what they were planning for in Trumpcare, and of course privatizes Medicare—all the things that Trump promised he would never do. But that was so 2016.

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