For years we have heard Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan talk about his top goal of “entitlement reform.” He was talking about it after Congress passed tax cuts in December and he was still talking about it when he announced earlier this month that he was retiring from Congress and would not see re-election.
The term “entitlement reform” may sound like a responsible approach to fixing Social Security, but Ryan’s form of “entitlement reform” includes cutting Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits and Medicaid benefits.
Advocates for Ryan’s type of “entitlement reform” were in mourning after Ryan’s announcement that he would not seek re-election. The Weekly Standard, a weekly conservative magazine, announced that Ryan’s retirement equaled the death of “entitlement reform.”
Ryan said he was an advocate for entitlement reform to get debt under control, but the bill the Republicans passed at the end of 2017 increased the debt to unprecedented levels because of massive tax cuts and Ryan was a leading cheerleader of that bill. Ryan’s version of “entitlement reform” includes taking money away from poor people to help reduce the nation’s debt, but the recent bill adds to the debt largely by providing tax breaks to rich people.
Although Ryan would never admit he has fully given up on “entitlement reform,” his decision to leave Congress means he will no longer be the most vocal supporter of it in Congress, and The Weekly Standard, doesn’t see a replacement to fill Ryan’s shoes.
“The thing is, there’s no one around to do it. Presidential leadership is essential to tackling entitlements, and Donald Trump is not is not interested,” a recent story in The Weekly Standard insisted. Trump made pledges as a presidential candidate that he would not touch Social Security, and so far he has not pushed for any sort of “entitlement reform.” It will be interesting to see if another Republican picks up Ryan’s cause.
