Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) received âFour Pinocchiosâ from The Washington Post for her assertion that Republicans would take away Medicare benefits.
The lawmaker, who has been at her post for almost three decades, claimed âWashington seniors who have spent their lives paying into these programs deserve better â and Iâll keep fighting to make sure they get it.â
The Post quelled fears saying, âDonât worry, seniors: There is no such plan,â in their assessment of Murrayâs statement about Republicansâ plans.
The Postâs Glenn Kessler touched on the history of support for Medicare during his explanation of Murrayâs falsity, saying, âMost Republican politicians supported the creation of Social Security in 1935, although more Republicans opposed it than Democrats. Republicans were marginally more likely than Democrats to oppose the new Medicare program when it was established in 1965, but Democrats overwhelmingly favored it.â
Republicansâ hesitance is something Democrats have reportedly frequently brought up during election struggles and in 2014 House Democratsaccused, without merit, then-congressional candidate Martha McSally of a plan to âprivatizeâ Social Security.
During the 2020 presidential race, President Joe Biden accused former President Donald Trump of a âplanâ to drain Social Security benefits so it would run out within just a few years, this accusation was false, as was another Biden made during the same campaign where he accused Trump of wanting to âslash Medicare benefits.â
The latest accusation by Murray is reportedly based primarily on a 60-page report released in February by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in his capacity as the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee as part of the committeeâs efforts to help elect Republicans to the Senate. The document included an â11-point plan to rescue Americaâ including 128 proposals.
On page 38 of the report, the restructuring includes the statement that âAll federal legislation sunsets in 5 years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.â
ââSunsetâ is inside-the-Beltway lingo. The Congressional Research Service offers this definition: âThe sunset concept provides for programs and agencies to terminate automatically on a periodic basis unless explicitly renewed by law,'â Kessler explained.
Neither Social Security or Medicare were specifically mentioned.
Finally, he wrote slapped Murray with âfour Pinocchiosâ as he wrote, âMurray would have been on more solid ground if she had cited Scott or Johnson by name and described their proposals, as Biden has done in campaign speeches. Instead, she condemns the whole caucus.
âThis is yet another example in which Democrats strain to conjure up a nonexistent GOP plan regarding Social Security and Medicare,â Kessler concluded.
