LETTER: Beware of GOP plans for Social Security, Medicaid

In your Tuesday editorial, “Report once again emphasizes the need for entitlement reform,” you point out that the report suggests a necessity for entitlement reform despite not explicitly stating it at this moment. It mentions that Social Security has shown improvement and is stable for the next 11 years, with Medicare also showing slight improvement. Given these factors, it’s understandable that neither presidential candidate need address this issue.

Interestingly, the Republican Party itself has delved into this matter. Following the last midterm elections, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell publicly criticized fellow Republican Sen. Rick Scott for proposing a plan to address this issue. McConnell argued that the plan may have contributed to the GOP’s losses in the Senate and nearly losing the House.

It’s uncertain whether Sen. Scott revised his plan following Sen. McConnell’s comments. At the time, however, he advocated for the “sunset” or elimination of all federal programs, including Social Security and Medicare. Both programs were initially established by the Democratic Party.