No matter what the president-elect said about not cutting Social Security, the Republican Congress apparently has other ideas.
The Huffington Post reported that, despite Trump's repeated declarations during the presidential campaign that he "promised not to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," a single Republican senator was the only one on her side of the aisle to vote for an amendment proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, that would have prevented the Senate from adopting legislation cutting Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.
Recommended For You
Sanders introduced the measure as an amendment to a budget resolution setting out rules for repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Had it received the required 60-vote threshold required for adoption, the amendment would have created a "point of order" that would block any legislation seeking to cut the three programs.
However, the vote was 49-49, with Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, the sole Republican joining 48 Democrats and independents to vote in favor of the amendment.
One thing the vote did achieve, however, was to wring from Senate Republicans a position on Trump's campaign promises while at the same time taking a public position to hold Trump to his promises.
With Senate Republicans having, according to the report, "formally declined to block legislation that would violate Trump's promise," it would be up to Trump to veto any legislation that seeks to cut the social insurance programs.
And while on Sunday Reince Priebus, Trump's incoming chief of staff, said that Trump would not "meddle" with Social Security and Medicare according to campaign promises, he failed to mention Medicaid.
That led the advocacy organization Social Security Works to say that Priebus's language "leaves room for maneuvering." Social Security Works and Sanders are both calling on Trump to promise to veto any legislation that might make use of such maneuvering to cut the programs.
In addition to proposing the amendment to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from potential cuts, Sanders also released a list of 13 occasions when Trump said he would not cut the social insurance programs.
Collins is one of a small group of Republican senators who have warned against repealing the ACA without having a plan prepared with which to replace it.
If Republicans determined to repeal the ACA had voted for the Sanders amendment, however, it could tie their hands—since a repeal would not only most likely include a rollback of Medicaid expansion and possibly affect Medicare too.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
