White House defends Musk comments on Social Security, Medicaid

[Elon Musk]

The waste and fraud in entitlement spending —Most of the federal spending is entitlements, That’s the big one to eliminate. That’s the sort of half trillion, maybe six, 700 billion.

[Kale Carey]

ELON MUSK’S RECENT COMMENTS ON ENTITLEMENT SPENDING PROMPTED A FLURRY OF HEADLINES AND POSTS OVER FEARS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MAY CUT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID. THE DOGE LEADER’S REMARKS ALSO RAISING THE QUESTION OF WHERE HE CAME UP WITH A FIGURE AS HIGH AS 700 BILLION DOLLARS.

THE WHITE HOUSE IS DEFENDING MUSK … SAYING IN A STATEMENT TUESDAY – HE DID *NOT* CALL FOR CUTTING BENEFITS IN HIS INTERVIEW ON FOX BUSINESS ON MONDAY – AND INSTEAD WAS FOCUSED ON THE WASTE AND FRAUD *WITHIN* THOSE PROGRAMS.

THE WHITE HOUSE ALSO POINTS TO AN ESTIMATE FROM THE U-S GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE SAYING TAXPAYERS LOSE AS MUCH AS 521 *BILLION* ANNUALLY TO FRAUD – MOST OF THAT WITHIN ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS.

BUT, ACCORDING TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION’S INSPECTOR GENERAL, THE AGENCY MADE ABOUT 72 BILLION DOLLARS IN IMPROPER PAYMENTS FROM 2015 TO 2022 – LESS THAN 1 PERCENT OF THE 8-POINT-6 TRILLION DOLLARS THE AGENCY HANDED OUT IN BENEFITS DURING THAT TIME.

MUSK DID AT ONE POINT IN MONDAY’S INTERVIEW CITE THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ESTIMATING THE GOVERNMENT MAY LOSE UP TO 521 BILLION DOLLARS YEARLY TO FRAUD, BUT THAT REPORT COVERED THE ENTIRE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

NUMBERS ASIDE … U-S SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS … SAYS MUSK’S CALL FOR CUTS IN MANDATORY FEDERAL SPENDING IS A STEP IN THE DIRECTION OF SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION. 

1Well, he has called Social Security a Ponzi scheme. They have already laid off 2,500 employees of the Social Security Administration. If you ask me, I think this is a prelude not only to cutting benefits, but to privatizing Social Security itself. I think that’s in the back of their mind.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS REPEATEDLY SAID HE WILL NOT CUT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE OR MEDICAID BENEFITS.

i’m not gonna touch social security, medicaid, medicare now we’re gonna get fraud out of there. We have people 250 years old in there, you know tremendous fraud.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, REPUBLICAN SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE … MIKE JOHNSON TALKED ABOUT REFORMING SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE BENEFITS FOR FUTURE RETIREES, WHILE PROTECTING THOSE ALREADY RECEIVING BENEFITS. 

the republican party is the party of fiscal responsibility… the american people want us to review and get our fiscal house in order … and that’s what we must do.. at the same time we must extend the Trump era tax cuts so we can make sure that every American does not receive the largest tax increase in US history.. We have very serious work we can do both of those things simultaneously and not affect benefits for those that rely on them are eligible to receive them. 

THE NONPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE SAID IN A REPORT LAST WEEK THAT REPUBLICANS CAN’T ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL OF CUTTING 2 TRILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL SPENDING OVER THE NEXT DECADE WITHOUT CUTTING MEDICAID.

THE CURRENT FEDERAL BUDGET DEFICIT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024 IS APPROXIMATELY 1-POINT-8 TRILLION DOLLARS.

FOR SAN, I’M KALÉ CAREY.

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