Ehrlich and Fitzgerald Hammer GOP Opponents for Supporting Ryan Budget that Ends Medicare As We Know it

Press Release

In advance of Paul Ryan's visit to Tampa Bay this evening, Democratic congressional candidates Keith Fitzgerald (FL-16) and Jessica Ehrlich (FL-13) held a conference call today hammering embattled Congressmen Vern Buchanan and Bill Young for supporting the Ryan-Buchanan-Young budget which ends Medicare as we know it and guts the key investments we need to grow the economy and strengthen the middle class -- all in order to pay for massive tax breaks for millionaires, big oil companies, and corporations that ship jobs overseas.

JESSICA EHRLICH:

"Bill Young's vote to end Medicare as we know it is just another indication that he's out of touch and has become part of the problem in Washington. With Ryan arriving in Tampa Bay, Young should have to answer why he supported this extreme agenda which guts the vital programs middle class families rely on in order to give tax breaks for millionaires and special interests -- but does nothing to grow our economy or help businesses create jobs. The residents of the Tampa area are tired of these broken politics from Congressman Young, and ready for new leadership who will be a strong voice for middle class families"

KEITH FITZGERALD:

"The Buchanan-Ryan budget will hurt Florida's middle class families and do nothing to grow our economy and help businesses create jobs. Even worse, Ryan and Buchanan's plan would end Medicare as we know it for the over 170,000 seniors in Manatee and Sarasota Counties who rely on this vital program, raising the cost of healthcare for our seniors by thousands of dollars every year. I've pledged to support and protect Social Security and Medicare, and will continue to fight back against those like Congressman Vern Buchanan who would dismantle these vital and important programs."

BACKGROUND:

Last Year, Buchanan and Young Voted to End Medicare As We Know It. On April 15, 2011, Buchanan and Young voted in support of a budget, which according to the Wall Street Journal, "would essentially end Medicare." If enacted, this budget would begin affecting millions of seniors almost immediately by increasing the costs on prescription drugs and long-term care. For future beneficiaries, the plan will significantly increase out-of pocket costs for health care, which according to the Congressional Budget Office would more than double under the Republican Plan. [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11; National Journal,6/2/11; CBO, 4/5/11; see also: Los Angeles Times, 4/7/11; Congressional Joint Economic Committee, 5/20/11]

Buchanan and Young Voted for House Republican Budget That Would Turn Medicare Into Voucher Program. On March 29, 2012, Buchanan and Young voted in favor of a budget that would end Medicare's guaranteed benefit, protects $40 billion in tax breaks for big oil, and provides people earning more than $1 million a year with an average tax cut of $265,000. The Tampa Bay Times wrote, "Floridians should be concerned about all these misplaced priorities, but Medicare and Medicaid are particularly at risk. House Republicans would end the help seniors receive toward closing the prescription drug doughnut hole. Their plan would eventually raise Medicare's eligibility age from 65 to 67. It would transform the safety net into a premium-support voucher program that provides government subsidies to private insurers, though beneficiaries could keep the current fee-for-service option." [H Con Res 112, Vote #151, 3/29/12; Tampa Bay Times, 3/31/12; New York Times Editorial, 3/20/12; Center for American Progress, 3/20/12; Tax policy Center, 3/23/12]

The Tampa Bay Times wrote that under the Buchanan-Young-Ryan budget the "Rich get richer" and "Medicare and Medicaid are particularly at risk." "House Republicans envision a country where Americans would be increasingly on their own to afford food and medical care even when they are elderly, disabled or poor. It also would be a nation with a tax code that tilts further toward benefiting corporations and the wealthy.…Floridians should be concerned about all these misplaced priorities, but Medicare and Medicaid are particularly at risk…Congressional Republicans want to exacerbate the nation's yawning income inequality while making life harder for those at the bottom." [Tampa Bay Times, 3/31/12]

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