Statements
Jon “Bowzer” Bauman Joins Florida Leaders To Slam Marco Rubio For Refusal To Denounce GOP Plan To Raise Taxes On Seniors, Cut Social Security And Medicare
Today, Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, a national advocate for the earned benefits seniors rely on to retire in dignity, joined Florida Representative Geraldine Thompson and Florida seniors advocate Bill Sauers to discuss the impact Republicans’ new tax hike would have in Florida. The leaders called out Marco Rubio for failing to denounce the plan to raise taxes on millions of Americans, including Florida seniors, and put Medicare and Social Security at risk of being cut.
When Rubio was asked about the proposal in Rick Scott’s “Rescue America” agenda for the GOP, Rubio said, “I think it’s good that people offer ideas.” Now, new data released this week shows Florida would be one of the worst affected states under the tax plan, with over 40% of Floridians at risk of tax hikes.
See highlights from the press call below and watch the full recording here
“I love the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s but I don’t want to return to a time before Medicare was passed in 1965 when over 35% of American seniors had incomes below the poverty line. And I certainly do not want to return to a time before Social Security was passed in 1935 when over 50% of American seniors had incomes below the poverty line.
[…] Mitch McConnell amazingly said, and I quote, ‘it’s a plan that sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years.’ And he said that because it does…But Marco Rubio refuses to condemn this plan, refuses to say, ‘this is horrible for American seniors,’ and he’s up for reelection…This is nothing new for Marco Rubio. Marco Rubio has wanted to privatize Social Security, privatize Medicare. He’s run on this for his entire career…This is a no brainer, Marco Rubio is spineless as usual,” said Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, President of Social Security Works PAC.
“There was such an outcry after Rick Scott made this proposal, that he’s trying to walk it back. However our other Senator, who is Marco Rubio and is up for reelection this year, has not disavowed what Rick Scott has proposed…As people are trying to dig out from a pandemic, this is certainly not the time to be proposing a tax hike which will affect many of the seniors and many of the low income people who live in the state of Florida. And Marco Rubio should have the backbone to be able to stand up and to say, ‘this is not good for Floridians and this is not good for many Americans,” said Representative Geraldine Thompson.
“For many people now, Social Security is their sole source of income. And I believe the average Social Security check is in the neighborhood of $1,450 a month. No matter what you take out of it, what’s a retiree supposed to do when the quality of their life is going down because we’re taking more from them?
[…] Instead of trying to save his constituents money, he’s proposing that it’s okay to tax them further on the little that they already have. It’s amazing to me that there isn’t a greater outcry for what can only be looked at as incompetence…I haven’t seen Marco Rubio or Rick Scott do anything to expand or protect [Social Security and Medicare], which means that they really don’t care about Florida seniors,” said Bill Sauers, President of the Florida Alliance For Retired Americans.
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