Issue Position: Protecting Our Seniors

Issue Position

Social Security and Medicare are vital programs to ensure every American has a measure of comfort and peace of mind in their retirement years.

For generations, these programs have helped protect millions of seniors -- yet today the programs are in danger, and unless they are reformed, they won't be around to help our children and grandchildren.

That's because politicians from both parties, like Senator Maria Cantwell, have been unwilling or unable to display the political pragmatism necessary to safeguard both the programs and America's budgets.

It's wonderful that Americans are living longer - that's something to celebrate - but it also means that costs to Medicare and Social Security are increasing dramatically. In fact, with so many baby boomers retiring and the soaring healthcare costs of Obamacare, the costs of entitlement programs will soon exceed total government revenue and eventually become bankrupt for future generations.

We must save and stabilize these vital programs. It's a serious problem that needs thoughtful, intelligent solutions.

Maria Cantwell can't do it. During her 12 years in office, the problem has gotten worse and when Cantwell voted for Obamacare, she voted to cut $500m from Medicare.

Here are my priorities for how we can protect Social Security and Medicare:

Firstly, I believe that anyone currently eligible for Social Security -- or getting close to retirement age -- should receive the benefits they have been promised. That's only fair.

For those young people in their 20s and 30s, I think it is reasonable to raise the age at which benefits begin -- gradually -- to start with from 65 to 67, especially as life expectancy continues to increase.

We need to introduce more consumer choice and innovation in Medicare, by gradually introducing a model that gives seniors more control of how their healthcare dollars are spent. This will keep costs down, and quality up.

Social security resources should be focused on the poor -- millionaires like Bill Gates don't need the same protection of social security safety net as people less well off.

Some of these proposals were supported by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles committee -- yet politicians like Cantwell just want to ignore the problem and wouldn't even allow the ideas to be voted on.

That's irresponsible. Rather than introducing a real plan, she's only trying to use scare tactics and hide her record.

Maria Cantwell has also failed seniors when it comes to the death tax. Benjamin Franklin once said that the only things certain in life are death and taxes -- but even he would be surprised at Cantwell's embrace of a death tax.

For millions of small businesses and farmers, the death tax means farms must be broken up and businesses sold. It's not right. Cantwell is wrong and I'll help end "taxation without respiration."

Most seniors want more than federal insurance and pension plans. They also want to leave a legacy of the American dream and want to know their children and grandchildren will live in an America that is strong and free.

Yet, the way our Congress, with politicians like Maria Cantwell, is spending today -- borrowing more than a trillion dollars a year -- guarantees an American future hobbled by debt, and insecure in the face of global challenges.

Empty promises and runaway spending are not what seniors want. But empty promises and high taxes -- that's Maria Cantwell's record in the U.S. Senate.

Seniors deserve better. Maria Cantwell can't do it. Working together, you and I will.

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