House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) got a tongue-lashing from The Bulwark's Joe Perticone on Thursday for going after one of the most beloved and fiercely-guarded programs in America: Social Security.
“The reason we’re in trouble is because over seventy-four percent of federal spending is on autopilot — mandatory spending, that is your entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and things like Social Security — they have to be adjusted and fixed,” Johnson said on the Moon Griffon Show. “We have a plan to do that next year, and it’s critical, because we’re at $40 trillion-plus in debt. At some point, you get into a hole so deep you can’t climb out of it, so desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Johnson isn't alone in his concerns, as a number of conservatives have argued the way Social Security benefits are structured is unsustainable and even regressive. Nonetheless, he committed an extremely "dumb" sin in saying this, Perticone said, as voters overwhelmingly want to save Social Security benefits and see them as their birthright upon retirement.
"There are a few general rules for survival in politics. Chief among them is to never, ever f--- with Social Security. Suggesting that the widely popular, essential program could be on the chopping block if your party holds the majority is a kind of political malpractice almost unthinkable for how stupid and self-damaging it is," said Perticone. Trump himself has vowed not to ever cut Social Security on the campaign trail.
Additionally, Perticone said, Johnson saw Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) take a thrashing in the press and among voters in 2022 after pushing an 11-point plan requiring all federal programs to "sunset" after five years, and particularly catch outrage because he didn't bother to exempt Social Security from it.
This comes as other Republicans are now being made to answer for Johnson's Social Security comments. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) was even caught faking a phone call to try to get away from being asked about it.