Steil’s weekly newsletter claims he’s trying to protect retirement benefits, while the Republican Study Committee budget would slash them and make retirement more difficult
Monday, August 14, 2023
RACINE, Wis. – It seems that one thing has been on the top of Congressman Bryan Steil’s agenda during the August recess – running from his record on Social Security and Medicare. After misleading constituents at listening sessions and on social media, Steil used his official Congressional newsletter last week to admit that he’s watched Opportunity Wisconsin’s latest TV ad, but didn’t deny his support for an extreme budget proposal that slashes benefits for working families and seniors.
In his newsletter on Friday, Congressman Steil wrote:
“Opportunity Wisconsin” is up to the old political game of running negative ads trying to scare seniors about cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Scare tactics are nothing new to Wisconsin TV viewers. They are trying to mislead you. I oppose cutting benefits for our seniors. While there are those that want to risk your financial security with reckless spending, I’m part of the effort to control spending to protect your retirement. We proved that we could reduce wasteful spending in Washington. We did this while protecting Social Security, Medicare and veterans.
While he runs from his record, Congressman Steil forgot to mention a few facts about his record that he must realize are unpopular:
Rep. Steil is a member of the Republican Study Committee, which recently released its recommendation for the 2024 federal budget. The group’s proposal would raise the Social Security age and make drastic changes to Medicare, jeopardizing retirement security for hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin seniors.
Rep. Steil also voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which made improvements to Medicare coverage, including capping insulin costs at $35 per month, giving the program the ability to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, and forcing drug companies to pay rebates when they raise certain drug prices higher than the rate of inflation.
In May, Rep. Steil also voted for the “Default on America Act,” an extreme plan that pushed the nation to the brink of defaulting on our obligations for the first time in history. This plan included drastic cuts to federal programs, including cuts to medical care for veterans and increased wait times for Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh: “Congressman Steil has a clear record on Social Security and Medicare, and he owes his constituents an honest answer for why he has stood by extreme plans that would slash benefits. While we appreciate that he’s taken time to watch our TV ad, we’d rather he use his free time to find solutions that actually support working families and seniors in the 1st Congressional District.”
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