Rand Paul presidential campaign, 2016/Federal assistance programs
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 Rand Paul |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2011) |
 Republican candidate: |
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- During an interview in Fox News' Happening Now on November 3, 2015, Rand Paul discussed his proposal to fix Social Security. He said, "People are upset about the government taking money from Social Security and spending it on immediate concerns that have nothing to do with Social Security. This is why we're bankrupt; the right and the left bankrupted this country. For Social Security I would fix it by gradually raising age. Everybody knows the age has to go up. Let the age go up a couple months every year for the next 20 years and that fixes two-thirds of the problem with Social Security."[2]
- Paul expressed skepticism of current disability benefits standards following an event in New Hampshire in January 2015. Paul stated, "The thing is, in all of these programs there’s always somebody who’s deserving. But everybody in this room knows somebody who is gaming the system. What I tell people is, if you look like me and you hop out of your truck, you shouldn’t be getting your disability check. Over half of the people on disability are either anxious or their back hurts. Join the club. Who doesn’t get up a little anxious for work every day and their back hurts? Everybody over 40 has a little back pain.”[3]
- Paul clarified his position on January 14, 2015, "We absolutely should take care of those truly in need of help. But the system is broken, and when people can game the system, they are stealing from those who are truly disabled and won't receive the care and aid they need."[4]
- Paul sponsored S 1469 - Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act of 2013, which proposed allowing those eligible for Medicare benefits to gain access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program starting in 2015. The bill also called for raising the qualifying age from 65 to 70 years by 2034.[5]
- In July 2013, Paul wrote an op-ed in The Washington Times outlining the purpose of the bill. Paul wrote, "Medicare, as we know it, is broken and in desperate need of reform....Giving seniors the same plan that every member of Congress enjoys is fair, and it saves $1 trillion over 10 years."[6]
| Paul speaking on the floor of the Senate about food stamps in June 2012. |
- Paul sponsored an amendment to S 3240 - Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012 to limit the number of people receiving supplemental nutrition assistance benefits, commonly called food stamps.[7]
- Speaking on the Senate foor, Paul explained, "Our system of helping ensure that no one goes hungry in our country is a noble one, but we're now asking to spend $750 billion on food stamps. When we ask this, we need to remember that recently a woman in Chicago faked the birth of triplets in order to receive $21,000 in food stamps....It's about being wise with the taxpayer dollars and not giving people $20,000 a year in food stamps. We need to give it to only those who can't work, those who are infirm, those who have disease and are not able-bodied, but we're giving it to millionaires. We're giving it for junk food, and we're giving it to go to McDonald's, and it's got to stop....It's not that we won't help people. We just need to be conscious of how much money we have and can we help only those who cannot help themselves."[8]
- Paul co-sponsored S 1904 - Welfare Reform Act of 2011. The bill, among other things, proposed revising work requirements, demanding applicants perform a supervised job search and using means-testing on an annual basis. According to a press release from Senator Mike Lee's office, the bill would have saved "$2.43 trillion by 2021 by gradually reducing the costs of the 77 existing welfare programs as unemployment decrease[d]."[9][10]
- In 2011, Paul co-sponsored a bill that proposed gradually increasing the Social Security retirement age to 70 by 2032 and gradually increasing early retirement to 64 by 2028. Paul explained his position was driven by economic considerations, "Social Security is going to incur a $5.4 trillion debt over the next 75 years. There's a big hole in Social Security for two simple reasons: We're living longer and baby boomers are going to retire."[11]
Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul dropping out of White House race," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Newsmax, "Rand Paul: Lawmakers Are 'Wimps' When It Comes to Social Security," November 3, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Rand Paul: Half of disability recipients are ‘gaming the system’," January 14, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Rand Paul: Disability Insurance Wasted On People With Anxiety And Back Pain," January 14, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “S.1469 - Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act of 2013," accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Paul: Health care for seniors," July 26, 2013
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.2182 to S.3240," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑ C-SPAN, "Clip from June 13, 2012 Senate Session," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “S.1904 - Welfare Reform Act of 2011," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ Mike Lee, U.S. Senator for Utah, "Republicans Announce Welfare Reform Act of 2011," November 16, 2011
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP senators: Raise retirement age to 70," April 13, 2011
