Defeated Paul Ryan Crushed As He Gives Up On His Plot To Kill Medicare

Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has abandoned his scheme to kill Medicare as the GOP agenda suffers a crushing defeat.
Politico reported, “Republicans on Capitol Hill are giving up on what might be their last best chance to overhaul Medicare, just as they’re losing their leading champion on the issue, House Speaker Paul Ryan. The quiet surrender on a subject that’s energized GOP fiscal hawks for the better part of a decade comes as new projections show Medicare’s trust fund in its worst shape since the recession, partly because of Republicans’ other chief obsession: their sweeping tax cuts.”

Ryan and the Republicans had planned on paying for their tax cuts for the wealthy with a massive gutting of Medicare, Medicaid, and other social safety net programs. Republicans have dreamed of killing Medicare for decades, and when they once again got control of the entire federal government they though they were about to achieve their dream of harming millions of seniors. As the tax cuts for the wealthy, and their unwillingness to do anything about gun violence has proven, Republicans don’t care about public opinion.

Before Ryan and the GOP could make their big move, the blue wave came along and terrified them. Republicans could be facing massive losses in the House, and they can’t afford to enrage even more voters before the election. Paul Ryan got his tax cuts for the rich, but what he also wanted was to privatize Medicare.

Paul Ryan’s dream is dead, and if Democrats win back all or part of Congress in November, the healthcare of America’s seniors will be safe for at least two more years.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association