Trump and the Republican Study Committee aren’t even hiding their planned abuse of most of society any more. The question is, why are the most abused among his most ardent supporters?
LOOK OUT BLUE-collar workers, senior citizens and lower income folks – the Republican Party is coming for you!
The Republican Study Committee, made up of more than 170 Republican House members, has just released what its budget proposal for 2025, titled “Fiscal Sanity to Save America.”
It does not bode well for those who hope to have some kind of retirement support through Social Security, some health security through Medicare and Medicaid and it ties nicely with the expiration of token tax cuts for most Americans that were apart of Donald Trump’s massive tax cut for corporations and the rich in 2019.
All in all, the proposed budget shows once and for all that despite riding to power on the backs of blue-collar workers, Republicans really don’t care a lick for them. Which, of course, leads to some head-scratching over why these voters continue to wear MAGA gimme caps and pull the red lever.
The proposed budget would call for raising the retirement age from the current 62 to…well…to something. It calls for “modest adjustments to the retirement age” for future retirees who are not “near retirement.” The proposal says those adjustments are required because of increased life expectancy, which means more people will draw SS benefits for longer periods of time.
So, what would the retirement age be raised to? The Republicans don’t say. Here’s the problem. According to Investopedia a blue-collar job is one involving manual labor, basically work that does not involve being in an office. This can include such strenuous work as mining, farm work, most factory jobs and so on. Investopedia says “working-class” and “blue-collar” are basically the same.
Statistics show the blue-collar work force suffers more serious declines in physical and mental health over the years, often leading to earlier retirement because they simply can’t work any longer. Any increase in the retirement age would push more and more working-class people into dire financial straits.
The plan also would bring back past Republican goals to slash Medicare by giving people subsidies to shop on the open market, setting up a competitive situation that would remove much of the security seniors get through the current system. Combine this with past and future Republican assaults on the Affordable Care Act and workers and lower income citizens would find it more difficult to have access to even basic health care.
Medicaid would be cut as well, through direct cuts or shifting burdens to states which most likely would fund it at a much lower rate.
Oh, as an aside the Republican Study Committee plan also would include a total ban on abortions after 15 weeks (which is supported by Trump) and also mentions legislation that would follow the Alabama Supreme Court ruling making in vitro fertilization a crime.
REMEMBER THE TRUMP tax cuts? You may well have gotten a bit of a tax cut because of the massive bill passed in late 2017. While the wealthiest Americans and corporations were given a windfall by the act, the only significant legislation passed during Donald Trump’s presidency, most people saw slight cuts in their taxes.
But, guess what? They will expire in 2025. But, not for everyone. While the cuts for the wealthy and corporations were permanent under the bill, all the other cuts expire after five years. The Congressional Budget Office projected when the cuts expire, taxpayers could see an increase in taxes. And meanwhile with fewer dollars coming in the deficit soared as a result of the Republican legislation.
The tax bill also got rid of the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act. This provision required all Americans to take out health insurance or pay a penalty. The logic was two-fold – a healthier America was good for the work force and overall economy and given the choice a majority would opt for getting the insurance as opposed to paying the tax. What was the impact of that? An increase in the number of people without health care and increased premiums.
So, here we are. Again. Republicans are coming after Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They still are talking “trickle down” economics. And, we haven’t even delved into the fine print of all their terrifying plans for a Trump second term and hoped-for Republican control of both the House and Senate with the backstop of the current U.S. Supreme Court.
And all this is being supported by most working-class folks who will be hurt the most if all this comes to pass. Try to make sense of that, if you can.
If you really are a member of the working-class, or even the white-collar Middle Class, certainly if you are a lower-income worker, the Republican Party is coming for you. If you support this new version of the Grand Old Party, you are putting a gun to your head. If you actually vote for them come November, you will have pulled the trigger.
Rich Heiland, has been a reporter, editor, publisher/general manager at daily papers in Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and New Hampshire. He was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team at the Xenia Daily (OH) Daily Gazette, a National Newspaper Association Columnist of the Year, and a recipient of the Molly Ivins First Amendment Award from the Walker County (TX) Democrat Club. He taught journalism at Western Illinois University and leadership and community development at Woodbury College in Vermont. Since 1995 he has operated an international consulting, public speaking and training business specializing in customer service, general management, leadership and staff development with major corporations, organizations, and government. Semi-retired, he and his wife live in West Chester, PA. He can be reached at heilandrich1@gmail.com.