When Donald Trump ran for president in 2016, he made a cacophony of promises about protecting Social Security and Medicare, but since taking office, he’s repeatedly attacked the two earned benefit programs, threatening the lifeline of the one in four Mainers who rely on Social Security and Medicare to survive.
Despite differentiating himself from other Republicans and promising to “save” Social Security and Medicare “without any cuts” in his first campaign, Trump has included massive cuts to the programs in all four of his budgets, repeatedly attempted to tighten access to Social Security benefits, and issued executive orders that would “blow a hole in Social Security and Medicare’s finances.”
Now, Trump openly admits that he plans to permanently eliminate the payroll tax if re-elected, which would defund critical programs that would ruin older Mainers’ financial security and put their health at risk. As the oldest state in the nation, a disproportionate share of Mainers rely on Social Security for part or all of their income, and the state has the highest percentage of residents enrolled in Medicare. Cuts to these programs would endanger the livelihoods of older Mainers, and make it more difficult and more expensive for them to get the care they need.
“Trump promised to save Social Security and Medicare, but in reality, his threats to these critical social safety nets have endangered older Mainers’ livelihoods,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “As the oldest state in the country, we can’t afford to re-elect a president who has promised to gut funding for two of the most important earned benefits for so many Mainers––the impact would be devastating. Joe Biden will always fight to protect Medicare and Social Security, and that’s why Maine is going to deliver him all four electoral votes next Tuesday.”
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