Voters Won’t Be Fooled by Stealth Plans to Cut Social Security

The deadline for the super-committee to produce its deficit-reduction plan is fast approaching, and cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are reportedly on the table.

Since large majorities of voters across party lines oppose cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits to reduce the deficit —including self-described “fiscally conservative” voters, as well as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – we’re particularly concerned that policy makers might try to disguise painful benefit cuts as merely technical changes. So we’ve explained how changing the way the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated for Social Security is not a more accurate way to measure inflation, but a “stealth” benefit cut that would especially hurt women.

The good news is that voters get it. A poll conducted last month by a bipartisan team of pollsters for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare found that 66 percent of likely voters opposed reducing COLA increases. And that word is getting out.

This poll—consistent with many others—has other important news for policy makers. Voters don’t just oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits. They support raising revenues. By a margin of 71 percent to 21 percent, they supported imposing Social Security payroll taxes on income above the cap (currently $106,800). By an even wider margin of 79 percent to 9 percent for all voters – and 64 percent to 18 percent among Republicans—they favor reducing the deficit by raising taxes on the wealthy over making cuts to Social Security and Medicare.  

Members of the super-committee – Republican leaders who have declared that revenue increases are off the table – Members of Congress – are you listening?