They could impeach him for this, if only they had the guts.
Miriam
Published on
Thursday, August 06, 2020
byCommon Dreams
Retirees Vow to 'Fight This Attempt to Gut Social Security' as Trump
Announces Executive Order to Suspend Payroll Tax
"President Trump just betrayed seniors, ordering cuts in Social Security
funding because Congress wouldn't go along with his payroll tax cut scheme."
byJake Johnson, staff writer
President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One at
Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 6, 2020. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via
Getty Images)
An advocacy group representing more than four million American retirees
warned Thursday that President Donald Trump took a dangerous step toward
"single-handedly" dismantling Social Security by announcing he plans to sign
an executive order suspending collection of the payroll tax as early as
Friday afternoon.
With congressional negotiations over the next Covid-19 stimulus package
still at an impasse, Trump told reporters Thursday that executive orders to
suspend the payroll tax, extend boosted unemployment benefits, and
reestablish an expired eviction moratorium are "being drawn now" despite
questions over whether the president has the authority to unilaterally take
any of those actions.
"Older Americans have earned their benefits through a lifetime of work.
Their retirement security should not be put at risk because President Trump
is mad at Congress for not bending to his will."
-Richard Fiesta, Alliance for Retired Americans
Trump said he expects to sign the orders "tomorrow afternoon or maybe the
following morning" if White House negotiators and Democratic leaders don't
reach a deal. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have rejected the
idea of cutting the payroll tax, the primary funding mechanism for Social
Security.
Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans,
said in a statement that "after learning that Democratic and Republican
congressional leaders would not go along with his harebrained scheme to cut
Social Security's dedicated funding source, President Trump lashed out and
announced he would begin dismantling the system single-handedly."
"Seniors pay for their housing, food, and medicine with their Social
Security, putting $1 trillion into our economy every year," said Fiesta.
"Older Americans have earned their benefits through a lifetime of work.
Their retirement security should not be put at risk because President Trump
is mad at Congress for not bending to his will."
The group's 4.4 million members, he vowed, "will fight this attempt to gut
Social Security."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works tweeted Thursday that
suspending collection of the payroll tax is "defunding of Social Security,
as a first step to cutting our earned benefits."
"And doing so by executive order is unconstitutional," the group said.