“Social Security and Medicare, if you’re eligible, you just get it regardless of the cost,” Johnson said in an interview that aired Tuesday on “The Regular Joe Show” podcast. The Wisconsin senator, who is running for re-election in a hotly contested race this fall that will help determine which party holds the majority next year, has argued that the mandatory spending status of funding for federal programs should be changed in discretionary spending “so everything is evaluated.” “Our problem in this country is that more than 70 percent of our federal budget, our federal spending, is all mandatory spending. It’s on autopilot. Never – you just don’t supervise properly. You don’t go in there and fix the programs that fail. It’s just on autopilot,” Johnson said. “As long as things are on autopilot, we keep piling up debt,” he added. He argued that funding for the programs should instead be submitted to Congress for annual approval. A spokesman for Johnson’s office told The Hill in a statement Wednesday that the senator “never suggested putting Medicare and Social Security on the square.” “The Senator’s point was that without the fiscal discipline and oversight typically found with discretionary spending, Congress has allowed guaranteed benefits for programs like Social Security and Medicare to be threatened. This must be addressed by a Congress that takes seriously its responsibilities to ensure that seniors do not have to question whether the programs they depend on remain solvent,” the spokesman said. Social Security benefits are available to US retirees and Medicare health insurance is available to citizens over 65 or disabled. American workers’ taxes fund the programs, with workers paying into the federal programs. In the case of Social Security, benefits are tied in part to one’s earnings, which help determine a monthly payment. Democrats quickly attacked Johnson’s remarks, suggesting the majority party believes they could hurt Johnson in his re-election bid. Defense and National Security — Senate approves Sweden, Finland NATO bids On The Money — All eyes on Sinema with Biden plan in the balance Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) said Johnson’s comments showed the programs could be cut by Republicans. “They say the quiet part out loud. MAGA Republicans want to gut Social Security and Medicare,” Schumer wrote, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. Johnson’s spokesman pushed back against the majority leader, saying in a statement that “Senator Schumer is lying about what Senator Johnson said.”
