Yesterday, Senator Maggie Hassan sounded the alarm on Don Bolduc’s disastrous support for eliminating Social Security and ending Medicare as we know it during an event at the William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center in Manchester.
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and local seniors joined Senator Hassan to discuss how Don Bolduc’s extreme agenda would hurt New Hampshire seniors. Don Bolduc has said if he had his way, we would “no longer have Social Security,” and recently doubled down on his comments. At an event in August, he was recorded saying that he wants to get the government “out of Medicare” and said that privatizing Medicare is “hugely important.” With the health and economic security of Granite State seniors on the line, the stakes have only become higher this November.
Check out the coverage below:
WMUR: Hassan, Bolduc spar over Medicare, Social Security
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At the senior center in Manchester on Monday, Hassan blasted her opponent for his stances on the programs.
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“At a town hall, he is on video saying that if he gets his way, and again this is a quote, we no longer have Social Security,” Hassan said. “Last month, he told Granite Staters at a town hall that we need to get the government — and this is a quote — ‘out of Medicare’ and called privatizing Medicare ‘hugely important.'”
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The Hassan campaign pointed to a recording from a campaign event in August in which Bolduc did call privatization “hugely important.”
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The debate over the future of the programs isn’t going away anytime soon, but seniors said for them, it isn’t theoretical.
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“It’s just not something that’s frivolous,” said Laurel Keefe, of Concord. “It is really very crucial.”
Manchester Ink Link: Hassan pledges to protect Social Security and Medicare while saying Bolduc would destroy them
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Hassan emphasized opposition from pharmaceutical lobbyists in her efforts to protect and strengthen the two programs used by millions of American senior citizens, asserting that portions of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act will save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
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“The law we passed will not only put money back in the pockets of seniors, but will also help bring down drug prices for all Americans across the board,” said Hassan.
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“(Hassan) knows how to bring leaders from both parties together to get results and ensure that seniors have the care and support that they need,” said Craig.
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Hassan also attacked Bolduc, building on recent comments attributed to Bolduc that his efforts to reform both programs would ultimately destroy them, leaving 300,000 elderly Granite Staters with difficult choices regarding health insurance and economic security. She also attacked Bolduc on efforts to walk back such comments now that he has won the Republican nomination.
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“Let’s be clear, people work their entire lives for their social security, they pay into it with every paycheck, they depend on it to retire with security,” said Hassan. “That money is not Don Bolduc’s to take, that money was earned by every Granite Stater who spent their lives working hard and paying into it.”
The Keene Sentinel: In his Senate bid, Democrats are using Bolduc’s own words against him
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“While I am fighting to lower costs for seniors, my opponent, Don Bolduc, supports dismantling their health care,” Hassan said in comments released by her campaign.
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“If Don Bolduc had his way, our country would be a place where seniors are left to fend for themselves; where our parents and grandparents don’t get the care that they need; where more families are burdened with medical debt; and where Americans are robbed of their Social Security.”
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Bolduc’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment Monday in response to Hassan’s assertion.
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On Thursday, Politico first reported Bolduc’s answer to a question posed to him about Medicare and Social Security at a campaign town hall event in Pembroke on Aug. 2. He echoed comments some Republicans have made over the years about privatizing those programs.
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“The privatization is hugely important,” Bolduc said. “Getting government out of it, getting government money with strings attached out of it.”
NHPR’s Josh Rogers reporting:
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U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan took her re-election campaign to a Manchester senior center Monday to highlight her support for Social Security and Medicare, which she accused Republican Don Bolduc of wanting to end.
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“He is on video saying that if he gets his way – and again this is a quote – we no longer have social security.” – Senator Maggie Hassan
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As recently as last month, Bolduc talked about getting government out of Medicare during a campaign stop in Pembroke.
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New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan blasted her opponent Don Buldoc out of Manchester yesterday on issues of Social Security and Medicare.
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The Hassan campaign is pointing to a recording from a campaign event in August in which Bolduc did call privatization “hugely important.
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“At a town hall, he is on video saying that if he gets his way, and again this is a quote, we no longer have Social Security,” Hassan said.
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