President Donald Trump insisted during his Fox News town hall that he will not sign any new coronavirus relief packages unless Congress includes a payroll tax cut that would gut Social Security.
Payroll taxes are how Social Security is funded. Cutting the payroll tax, therefore, has long been a goal of Republicans.
Trump apparently thinks he can give Republicans what they have long desired by using the pandemic to hold Congress and the American people hostage until lawmakers basically vote to gut Social Security, a move that will not help the tens of millions of Americans who need immediate financial assistance.
This country needs another big relief package now, but Trump told Fox News that he will not sign any such relief package into law without a payroll tax he has been demanding.
“I told [Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin] just today, we’re not doing anything unless we get a payroll tax cut,” Trump said. “That is so important to the success of our country.”
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Here’s the video:
Except it’s not “important to the success of our country” at all. Only the wealthy and corporations would benefit from a payroll tax cut because they would not have to contribute their fair share to Social Security. That means less money in the trust fund, which Republicans can then use as an excuse to argue for killing Social Security altogether.
Social Security Works roundly condemned the payroll tax cut idea on Twitter.
“Payroll tax cut” is code for “gut Social Security and Medicare’s dedicated funding, then demand benefit cuts.”
Democrats must stand strong and continue blocking Trump’s terrible idea. https://t.co/GtrEzKYORn
— SocialSecurityWorks (@SSWorks) May 4, 2020
Donald Trump said he would block all coronavirus response measures that don’t include a payroll tax cut.
This plan to cut Social Security’s dedicated funding is an attack that won’t even help the most vulnerable in the midst of this crisis. pic.twitter.com/cpyB0awdKu
— SocialSecurityWorks (@SSWorks) May 4, 2020
Social Security has particularly served as a lifeline to our nation’s seniors, a critical voting block for Trump if he wants to get reelected.
But again, a payroll tax cut would take this lifeline away and do nothing for the American people who need help right now.
“Payroll tax cuts waste money, delivering the wealthy and powerful the largest cuts while providing nothing to those who need it most,” Social Security Works President Nancy Altman said in a statement. “They are slow and inefficient. But they do reduce Social Security’s dedicated funding, a longstanding right-wing ideological goal. That presumably is why Trump is insisting on them.”
“[Trump] insists he won’t sign anything unless he gets his payroll tax cut,” Altman continued. “That’s how desperately Trump and the right-wing ideologues surrounding him want to defund Social Security, so they have an excuse down the road to demand cuts to our earned benefits. Trump’s actions are a war on seniors. He wants to open up the economy, even though COVID-19 is disproportionately costing seniors their lives. Now he is insisting on threatening Social Security on which most seniors rely for their food, medicine, and other basic necessities.”
Democrats must reject Trump’s demand and send him a relief package without a payroll tax cut. Complying with his demand would be disastrous for the American people and the future of a social safety program that has been enormously successful and important for more than 80 years. This should be non-negotiable.
Featured image via screen capture
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