In a press conference on Tuesday, President Donald Trump made comments about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that alarmed many Americans.
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Trump said that a Democrat gave this feedback on the government funding bill: “It means death.”
He went on, “There’s nothing about death. Theirs is death because they’re gonna lose Medicaid, they’re gonna lose Social Security, they’re gonna lose Medicare, all of those things are gonna be gone because the whole country would be bankrupt, and you’re not gonna have any kind of medical insurance.”
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In response, Democratic strategist Doug Gordon told Newsweek: “No one ever ‘wins’ a shutdown. But it is certainly a bad look for Republicans that Speaker Johnson has the House of Representatives on a taxpayer-funded monthlong vacation while Americans are about to get hit with the largest health care cost increase in more than a decade.”
And Republican strategist Matt Klink, speaking about the government shutdown, told the outlet, “This is a fight the GOP is comfortable having. The Democrats overplayed their hand by trying to jam through a major policy change on the back of a funding deadline.”
Over on Reddit, people reacted to these comments, and they did not hold back. Here are some of the most brutally honest responses from Americans:
1. “I’m fucking pissed. I was required to pay into these programs with the understanding that they’d be there if I needed them. They’re stealing our money.”
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2. “I work specifically with people who are on Medicare and Medicaid dual plans. This is going to hurt so many people. Seniors, disabled folks, poor folks, children. My own mental health is suffering tremendously because of everything he’s doing.”
3. “I’m studying accounting right now. It doesn’t make sense to ‘cut’ Social Security and Medicare because it has nothing to do with government funding. It’s money that we pay into so that we have it when we need it. If the government ‘cuts’ it, then it’s stealing from us.”
4. “I’m never going to stop telling my in-laws that they voted to cut their daughter’s Medicaid. When they ask why we can’t make the trip to visit? We don’t have the money because you voted to cut medical care.”
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5. “I’m a stage 4 cancer patient on SSDI, Medicaid, and SNAP. I paid into these programs up until my diagnosis, and I need to fucking benefit from them or I will literally die. I just came from the thread about how they’re canceling SNAP for the month of November because of the shutdown. I didn’t fucking vote for this.”
“I already have to supplement my government assistance with GoFundMe donations and have for the last two years. Now I’m not going to eat for the month of November, and if they take away Medicaid, I’m literally just going to fucking die. Fuck every single piece of shit who voted for this.
It doesn’t even make me feel good to know that they’re going to suffer along with me. Nobody deserves this. And they’re just going to blame the Democrats anyway. This is so fucked up. So, so fucked up. God, I haven’t been this angry in years, and I’m not looking forward to the moment the rage fades and the panic and desperation set in.”
6. “I have spent my entire adult life convinced that there won’t be a cent in any of those by the time I was old enough to make use of them. So for once, I’m just shrugging. If anything, it just speeds it up by a few years.”
7. “If you think it can’t happen, just check out the East Wing of the White House.”
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8. “If they’re cutting what they’re supposed to be paying out, then they need to cut how much they take from my paychecks.”
9. “Listen, guys. Yes, Republicans are cutting funding that will result in millions of children dying preventable deaths abroad and cutting your families’ healthcare in the US. But at least Republicans are spending $40 billion to bail out a failed right-wing libertarian economy in Argentina AND building a $250-million ballroom for Trump.”
10. “He also said he’d end the Ukraine war on day one, and that groceries and gas would be cheaper day one. I don’t believe a thing he says.”
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11. “He’s currently demanding $230 million from the Department of Justice. Do I care what his opinion is? He’s doing what he always wanted to here: gain power, enrich himself, and take revenge on people who were mean (or just not ingratiating enough) to him. Everything else, including destroying the government, is just a lark on behalf of the far right, who have always tried to tear the government apart.”
12. “I want a refund of every fucking penny, plus interest that I have had to pay into this corrupt system, that I will never get the benefit of!”
13. “Remember when Biden said, ‘Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare,’ like, 1,000 times, including almost every State of the Union address he had, and the GOP had a freakout calling him a liar.”
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14. “He wants to use the current shutdown as a crisis to be able to pin these cuts on Democrats, despite controlling all three branches of government and both chambers.”
15. “I work in Medicare health insurance and have for six years. I’ve talked with people from all walks of life who call in and desperately need help. And then, as a manager, I listened to thousands of calls in addition to that. You have no idea how hard people on Medicare/Medicaid are hurting. SO MANY people 65+ and on disability have to choose between electricity, rent, and getting lifesaving medication or medical care. Something like $15 may not sound like a lot to most folks, but for them, every single little bit of savings counts. The stories I have heard are nothing short of tragic.”
“This is nothing short of pure evil. We have the money to provide free healthcare for everyone and pay the most per capita for healthcare in the world. The healthcare system is currently broken. What Trump is saying here is that he wants to take this broken system and destroy it, full stop.”
16. “I’m 79. Still employed full-time. I’m thinking I can work for another year. Then, when I retire, it’ll be Social Security and my savings. No more nice UHC insurance; it’ll be whatever is left of Medicare. This is pretty frightening.”
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17. And finally, “This is like when the waiter brings you your fajitas, and says, ‘Don’t touch the skillet, it is hot,’ and then you touch the skillet and it burns you. Except with democracy. Also, the plate doesn’t have fajitas, it has sizzling bullshit. Then the waiter grabs you by the pussy.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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