Democrats Pounce On Mitch McConnell For Blaming Debt On Social Security, Medicare

For months now, Democratic leaders and congressional candidates have argued that the budget-busting Republican tax cuts put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid at risk.

It was only a matter of time, they warned, before the GOP seamlessly pivoted from adding $1.9 trillion to the national debt to decrying the poor state of the nation’s finances, as if they had nothing to do with it, and demanding that the budget be balanced on the back of the country’s three biggest social insurance programs. As evidence to support their concerns, Democrats had pointed to remarks by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately after the passage of the tax cut legislation, and more recently to comments by top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.

On Tuesday, some three weeks before the midterm elections, Democrats received more ammunition for their narrative, this time from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Asked in a Bloomberg News interview for his reaction to news that the annual budget deficit exploded in President Donald Trump’s first full fiscal year in office, McConnell played the part of serious-minded budget hawk.

“It’s very disturbing,” he replied. “And it’s driven by the three biggest entitlement programs that are very popular: Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid.”

McConnell went on to blame politicians in both parties for lacking the backbone to make cuts to programs due to their popularity. He argued that elected officials will never pass the needed reforms so long as one party has control of the federal government.

“It’s disappointing, but it’s not a Republican problem,” he said. “It’s a bipartisan problem: unwillingness to address the real drivers of the debt by doing anything to adjust those programs to the demographics of America in the future.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) identified Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as the "real drivers" of the national debt in a Bloomberg interview on Tuesday. (Photo: Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) identified Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as the "real drivers" of the national debt in a Bloomberg interview on Tuesday. (Photo: Bloomberg/Getty Images)

He concluded by lamenting that when then-President Barack Obama presided over a divided federal government, he lacked the will to take on the problem despite agreeing it needed to be done.

There is a lot to unpack in McConnell’s remarks. For one thing, Obama doggedly pursued a fiscal “grand bargain” several times in his first term that would have cut Social Security in exchange for some new revenue. A major factor in the collapse of those talks were the objections of an ultra-conservative faction of House Republicans to then-Speaker John Boehner offering Obama any new revenue.

What’s more, the debt is not currently a major problem; Social Security is essentially self-funded; and Medicare and Medicaid cost growth is as much due to the rise in the underlying health care costs as it is the country’s aging population. (Medicare has done a better job controlling that underlying cost growth than private insurance plans.)

And to be fair, unlike Ryan’s comments in December, McConnell conceded that the GOP would not risk cutting the programs he calls “entitlements” without Democratic buy-in.

But Democrats immediately seized on the remarks as confirmation of McConnell’s “two-step fiscal agenda,” as the Center for American Progress put it in the subject line of an email promoting a statement from CAP President Neera Tanden blasting McConnell.

Step One: Drive up the annual budget deficit. Step Two: Blame it on programs you’ve long had in your crosshairs for ideological reasons.

To Democrats, McConnell’s comments are of a piece with the grand designs of anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who once admitted that he sought to starve the federal government of resources in order to scale back its reach. After helping shepherd tax cuts during the presidency of George W. Bush in 2001, Norquist glibly declared that his goal was to shrink the federal government to the point “where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

In addition to the Democratic-aligned think tank CAP, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Wisconsin Democratic Party, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and New Jersey House candidate Andy Kim all sent out press releases blasting the comments for exposing McConnell’s plans to gut the country’s popular social insurance programs.

“Every Republican Senate candidate is on the hook for Mitch McConnell’s plan to cut Medicare and Social Security,” said DSCC spokesman David Bergstein.

Bergstein connected it to Republican support for legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act that would have reduced protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions and enabled insurers to charge older people higher premiums.

“First it was jeopardizing pre-existing conditions coverage, then it was pursuing an age tax that would charge older Americans more for care, and now it’s targeting the benefits Americans have paid into,” he said.

Also on HuffPost

NSA Surveillance

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), left, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), center, exit the Senate floor after Paul spoke about surveillance legislation on Capitol Hill on May 31, 2015.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), left, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), center, exit the Senate floor after Paul spoke about surveillance legislation on Capitol Hill on May 31, 2015.

National Anthem

From left: U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) place their hands over their hearts during the playing of the national anthem during a presentation ceremony for the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of the American Fighter Aces' service to the United States at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2015. Congress honored the service of the pilots with the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow.

Remembering Officers

President Barack Obama (from left), Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attend the 34rd Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill on May 15, 2015.
President Barack Obama (from left), Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attend the 34rd Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill on May 15, 2015.

Elton John

Singer Elton John (right), founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Pastor Rick Warren (left) of the Saddleback Church, arrive to testify about global health programs during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 6, 2015.
Singer Elton John (right), founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Pastor Rick Warren (left) of the Saddleback Church, arrive to testify about global health programs during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 6, 2015.

Loretta Lynch Testimony

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch (right) appears before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 7, 2015. The committee is hearing testimony on the Justice Department's budget request for fiscal year 2016.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch (right) appears before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 7, 2015. The committee is hearing testimony on the Justice Department's budget request for fiscal year 2016.

Bernie Runs

U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) leaves after a news conference to speak on his agenda for America on Capitol Hill on April 30, 2015, after announcing he would run for U.S. president.
U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) leaves after a news conference to speak on his agenda for America on Capitol Hill on April 30, 2015, after announcing he would run for U.S. president.

Japanese Prime Minister

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves before he addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2015.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves before he addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2015.

Subway Smiles

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), second from left, smiles as he rides a Senate subway with a member of the press, left, after a vote April 23, 2015, to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), second from left, smiles as he rides a Senate subway with a member of the press, left, after a vote April 23, 2015, to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general.

Hotdish Competition

Members of the Minnesota delegation taste each other's entries during the Minnesota Congressional Delegation Hotdish Competition on Capitol Hill on April 22, 2015. Hotdish is a meal similar to a casserole.
Members of the Minnesota delegation taste each other's entries during the Minnesota Congressional Delegation Hotdish Competition on Capitol Hill on April 22, 2015. Hotdish is a meal similar to a casserole.

Advocating For Loretta Lynch

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks while flanked by members of the Congressional Black Caucus during a news conference on Capitol Hill on April 22, 2015. Pelosi urged the Senate to immediately confirm Loretta Lynch's nomination as attorney general.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks while flanked by members of the Congressional Black Caucus during a news conference on Capitol Hill on April 22, 2015. Pelosi urged the Senate to immediately confirm Loretta Lynch's nomination as attorney general.

Justice March

Henry Singleton of New York City holds up a sign as U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) speaks during a rally to mark the finish of March2Justice on April 21, 2015, on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Dozens of marchers took part in an eight-day, 250-mile march from Staten Island, New York, to the nation's capital to demand congressional intervention to tackle "the national crisis of police violence."

Special Guest

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, second from left, speaks with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), second from right, as they pose for a photo alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), left, and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), right, prior to a meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2015.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, second from left, speaks with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), second from right, as they pose for a photo alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), left, and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), right, prior to a meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2015.

Gyrocopter At The Capitol

Capitol Hill police officers and other officials lift a gyrocopter that landed on the U.S. Capitol's South Lawn, onto a trailer on April 15, 2015. A man identified as Doug Hughes, 61, illegally landed his aircraft on the Capitol lawn, triggering street closures around the building and prompting a police investigation. Hughes is described as a mailman, and a logo appearing to be that of the U.S. Postal Service was visible on the tail fin of the aircraft.

Secretary Of State Parade

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trailed by staff and security while departing a meeting with members of the U.S Senate on the proposed deal with Iran at the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2015. Kerry met with members of the House and Senate to discuss the ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trailed by staff and security while departing a meeting with members of the U.S Senate on the proposed deal with Iran at the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2015. Kerry met with members of the House and Senate to discuss the ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations.

Harry Reid's Retirement

A large abstract painting of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is visible on a wall next to a stuffed eagle in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 27, 2015. Reid recently announced he will not seek re-election to another term.
A large abstract painting of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is visible on a wall next to a stuffed eagle in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 27, 2015. Reid recently announced he will not seek re-election to another term.

McCain Applauds

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) applauds the final comments from fellow committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), as they conclude a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 26, 2015, to discuss the situation in Yemen. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is at right.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) applauds the final comments from fellow committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), as they conclude a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 26, 2015, to discuss the situation in Yemen. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is at right.

Ben Affleck

Actor, filmmaker and founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative Ben Affleck testifies before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing on "Diplomacy, Development, and National Security" on March 26, 2015. His wife, Jennifer Garner, looks on.
Actor, filmmaker and founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative Ben Affleck testifies before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing on "Diplomacy, Development, and National Security" on March 26, 2015. His wife, Jennifer Garner, looks on.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates testifies during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs hearing on "Diplomacy, Development, and National Security" on March 26, 2015.
Bill Gates testifies during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs hearing on "Diplomacy, Development, and National Security" on March 26, 2015.

Twin Tears

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, left, and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) wipe away tears after listening to the remarks of Nicklaus' son Jack Nicklaus II during the elder Nicklaus' Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on March 24, 2015. Nicklaus was lauded by family, friends and politicians for his many sports achievements and his philanthropy.

Affordable Care Act Anniversary

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lead the way down the House steps for the House Democratic Caucus media event to mark the fifth anniversary of President Barack Obama signing into law the Affordable Care Act on March 24, 2015.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lead the way down the House steps for the House Democratic Caucus media event to mark the fifth anniversary of President Barack Obama signing into law the Affordable Care Act on March 24, 2015.

Meerkat In The House

Conference aide SoRelle Wyckoff films a news conference in the Capitol after a meeting of the House Republican Conference using the live streaming app Meerkat on March 24, 2015.
Conference aide SoRelle Wyckoff films a news conference in the Capitol after a meeting of the House Republican Conference using the live streaming app Meerkat on March 24, 2015.

Congressional Gold Medal

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, center, is presented the Congressional Gold Medal by, from left, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the Capitol Rotunda on March 24, 2015.
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, center, is presented the Congressional Gold Medal by, from left, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the Capitol Rotunda on March 24, 2015.

Secret Service Talks To Congress

Joseph Clancy, director of the U.S. Secret Service, testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in on March 19, 2015.
Joseph Clancy, director of the U.S. Secret Service, testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in on March 19, 2015.

Spring Cleaning

Code Pink peace activists discuss a letter to Iran's leaders written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) outside his office in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 19, 2015. The group organized a "spring cleaning of Congress."
Code Pink peace activists discuss a letter to Iran's leaders written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) outside his office in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 19, 2015. The group organized a "spring cleaning of Congress."

Supreme Women

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) right, prepares to take a picture in her Capitol office with Supreme Court Justices, from left, Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, before a reception on March 18, 2015. The justices were in the Capitol to be honored at Pelosi's annual Women's History Month reception in Statuary Hall.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) right, prepares to take a picture in her Capitol office with Supreme Court Justices, from left, Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, before a reception on March 18, 2015. The justices were in the Capitol to be honored at Pelosi's annual Women's History Month reception in Statuary Hall.

When Irish Ties Are Smilin'

From left: Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), President Barack Obama (D) and Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Enda Kenny depart the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill on St. Patrick's Day 2015.
From left: Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), President Barack Obama (D) and Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Enda Kenny depart the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill on St. Patrick's Day 2015.

Colonial Visit For Marijuana

Dressed in colonial garb, Adam Eidinger and fellow D.C. marijuana advocates visit the office staff of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 17, 2015, to protest the congressman's stand in regard to legalized marijuana in the District of Columbia. Legislative Director Amber Kirby Talley receives a pipe from Eidinger.

Goldendoodle

Shawna Blair, of the Senate Periodical Press Gallery, holds her dog George Clooney, a 4-month-old Goldendoodle, for Kate Hunter of Bloomberg News to pet in the Capitol's Senate Press Gallery on March 13, 2015.
Shawna Blair, of the Senate Periodical Press Gallery, holds her dog George Clooney, a 4-month-old Goldendoodle, for Kate Hunter of Bloomberg News to pet in the Capitol's Senate Press Gallery on March 13, 2015.

Code Pink

Protesters from Code Pink hold up signs as Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrive to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill on March 11, 2015.
Protesters from Code Pink hold up signs as Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrive to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill on March 11, 2015.

Cruz Waves

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during the International Association of Fire Fighters Presidential Forum at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2015.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during the International Association of Fire Fighters Presidential Forum at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2015.

Warren Talks

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks during the International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on March 9, 2015.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks during the International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on March 9, 2015.

Speaking On Gun Control

Former astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former congresswoman and handgun violence survivor Gabby Giffords, is joined by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Bob Dold (R-Ill.), Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) for a news conference about background checks for gun purchases in the Canon House Office Building on March 4, 2015.
Former astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former congresswoman and handgun violence survivor Gabby Giffords, is joined by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Bob Dold (R-Ill.), Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) for a news conference about background checks for gun purchases in the Canon House Office Building on March 4, 2015.

Selfie Time

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), shoots a video selfie as he heads to the House floor for votes on March 4, 2015.
Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), shoots a video selfie as he heads to the House floor for votes on March 4, 2015.

Giffords' Voice

Former Congresswoman and handgun violence survivor Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) speaks during a news conference about background checks for gun purchases at the Canon House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 4, 2015.
Former Congresswoman and handgun violence survivor Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) speaks during a news conference about background checks for gun purchases at the Canon House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 4, 2015.

Netanyahu Speaks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he steps to the lectern prior to speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2015. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) applaud.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he steps to the lectern prior to speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2015. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) applaud.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.