Statements
Advocates For Seniors Slam Marco Rubio’s Latest Plan To Cut Social Security Benefits
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Marco Rubio is trying to distract from his record of supporting abortion bans and introducing legislation to throw doctors in jail for providing reproductive health care. There’s just one problem. His “pro-family framework” is nothing more than a Social Security cut in disguise.
Rubio’s proposal for paid parental leave forces parents to take money out of their future Social Security earnings. According to Rubio’s plan, parents who participate would either have to delay retirement or settle for cuts in their Social Security checks for up to five years.
Following the release of Rubio’s plan, advocates for seniors and retirees released statements slamming his latest attempt to cut benefits Floridians spent their lives earning:
“Marco Rubio’s so-called ‘New Parents Act’ is just the latest Republican scam to steal our earned Social Security benefits. No one should be forced to choose between taking care of their loved ones today and enjoying a secure retirement tomorrow. Instead, parents need real paid leave, and women need the right to control their own bodies. Rubio disgracefully opposes both,” said Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, President of Social Security Works PAC.
“Once again, Marco Rubio is failing Florida seniors. Penalizing Floridians by reducing their retirement benefits and making them wait longer to receive those reduced benefits is uncaring, heartless, and unnecessary. If Marco Rubio really cared about living up to his constitutional duties as a Senator, he would focus on expanding Social Security for all Americans, not undercutting it,” said Bill Sauers, President of the Florida Alliance of Retired Americans.
“Social Security is a lifeline for seniors and the disabled, not a slush fund that politicians like Marco Rubio can use for their political goals. Rubio has disrespected seniors enough as it is, spending years pushing plans to raise the retirement age and undermine our earned benefits. Rubio’s plan forces parents to pay for family leave with their own Social Security benefits. That’s not a pro-family agenda, that’s a scam,” said Janice Poirier, President of the Florida Education Association’s retired chapter.
“With his party boss Rick Scott campaigning on a plan to threaten Medicare and Social Security, it’s no surprise that Marco Rubio would follow suit with his own agenda to undermine seniors’ hard-earned retirement benefits. Floridians won’t fall for Rubio’s latest self-serving gimmick. They’ll see Rubio’s plan for what it is: a desperate attempt to distract from his anti-choice agenda to roll back their freedom to make their own health care decisions,” said Laurie Plotnick, President of the Florida Democratic Seniors Caucus.
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