To the editor:
On Feb. 26, our group, Voters for Informed Action, asked Jason Smith some basic questions about the economic condition of the 8th Congressional District, which is the sixth poorest district in the nation. We did not receive a response, so we researched the answers and will provide them here:
According to the Social Security Administration, more than 25% of people (almost 200,000 individuals) living in the 8th District receive Social Security.
According to 2023 data from the US Census Bureau, 21.7% (166,013 people) receive Medicare.
Also according to 2023 census data, 24% (183,875 people) qualify for the need-based health coverage, Medicaid.
According to the Food Research and Action Center, more than 15% (about 45,000 households) receive aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), compared to about 10% in the state and nation.
We want to know how the recently passed budget will impact us. The budget requires a minimum of $1.5 trillion in federal funding cuts in order to provide a $4.5 trillion tax cut that will disproportionately benefit the country’s wealthiest people. It will also increase the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, according to New York Times analyses.
Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP are prime targets for cutting in order to meet budget targets.
Among the cuts to Social Security being considered is to raise the retirement age to 69. Anyone born after 1971 would see their benefits cut by 13%, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Other cuts to Social Security will reduce customer service by laying off thousands of workers. Call- and wait-times have already increased since staff was reduced by 11% between 2010 and 2024, a period when the number of beneficiaries increased by 24%.
The US Congress Joint Economic Committee concluded that under the current budget, 25 million Americans may lose their health coverage if Medicaid is cut. This would impact rural America, children and nursing home residents most severely. The Committee predicts that 1 in every 5 seniors could lose their nursing home care.
Whatever happened to “compassionate conservatism”?
As Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, our congressman has access to these facts and numbers. His support for these budget policies will make his poor district even
poorer.
