Ken Paxton Discusses Potential Cuts to Social Security and Medicare
In a private fundraising event, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton expressed willingness to consider reductions in Social Security and Medicare spending, as reported by the Texas Tribune.
During the event, Paxton addressed lobbyists, highlighting the need for “reasonable cuts to mandatory spending” as a means to tackle the national deficit. He stated, “Making some reasonable cuts to mandatory spending—you’re gonna have to do it. Or there is no solution. That’s just the reality. We have to suck it up.”
Mandatory spending includes federally required expenditures such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which form the bulk of this category.
A recent poll by Navigator Research indicated a significant opposition to cuts in these programs, with 89% of Democrats, 53% of Republicans, and 78% of independents disapproving of such measures.
Supporters of reducing Social Security argue that it is essential for the program’s sustainability, especially as the trust fund responsible for full retirement and survivor benefits is forecasted to be depleted by 2032.
Paxton’s Democratic rival, state Rep. James Talarico, proposes a different approach. He suggests preserving the trust fund by slightly increasing Social Security taxes on individuals earning over $400,000 annually.
Paxton also endorsed the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which includes a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid to finance tax reductions for affluent individuals and major corporations. This legislation is expected to result in approximately 200,000 Texans losing health insurance coverage.
Despite these reductions, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the OBBB will not be deficit neutral, potentially increasing the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade.
Ryan Martin, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, criticized Paxton, stating, “Paxton has no problem adding trillions to the debt to cut taxes for billionaires, but wants cuts when it comes to protecting seniors’ retirement benefits and healthcare.”
According to a Beacon Research poll from last month, Talarico currently leads Paxton by two percentage points.
The original report on Ken Paxton’s comments appeared in the American Journal News.
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