With tensions growing between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Senate Republicans are now zeroing in on programs like Social Security and Medicare as they look for ways to trim costs in the massive “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Although the discussion originally focused on Medicaid, attention has now turned to Medicare and possibly Social Security which has raised a lot of worry about the future of these programs that so many Americans depend on.
A Ballooning Deficit Fuels GOP Scrutiny
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the House’s version of the bill would add approximately $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years. Regardless of this, the House has already mitigated $1.3 trillion from safety net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With most of the usual areas for budget cuts already exhausted, some Republican lawmakers are now setting their sights on Medicare as the next place to trim spending.
Targeting Medicare and potentially Social Security comes with serious political risks. Many Americans, especially seniors and lower-income families, view these programs as off-limits. In fact, a large part of Trump’s own supporters rely on them.
Push for “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse” Oversight
Some Republican senators say the changes are about fixing problems, not cutting benefits. Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota, for instance, has called for a closer look at waste and abuse in Medicare. “Why don’t we go after that?” he asked, suggesting that tightening oversight could save money without affecting the people who depend on the program.
President Trump, during a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans, appeared to share a similar position opposing direct cuts to beneficiaries while backing efforts to reduce fraud and inefficiency.
Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who attended the meeting, relayed Trump’s stance: “The president was clear he doesn’t want cuts that affect the people receiving the benefits.”
Public Trust and Political Backlash
Even with promises that benefits won’t be touched, the focus on Medicare and Social Security is making a lot of people uneasy. A recent KFF poll showed that 70% of Americans, including 44% of Republicans, are concerned the bill could leave more people without health coverage. That’s a clear sign the GOP’s messaging around entitlement reform isn’t connecting with voters.
For millions of Americans, Medicare and Social Security aren’t just numbers in a budget, they’re lifelines. So even talk of cuts, even if it’s framed as targeting fraud, is enough to make people who rely on these programs feel anxious and vulnerable.
Republican Divide and Lessons from the Past
Even among Republicans, there’s no clear consensus on how far these cuts should go. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has backed the idea of focusing on rooting out “waste, fraud, and abuse,” echoing Trump’s position. But not everyone is on board.
Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has been urging caution. He warned his fellow Republicans that going after Medicare could backfire politically. He pointed to what happened back in 2004, when President George W. Bush tried to privatize Social Security, a move that didn’t just fail but also cost the GOP at the ballot box for years to come.
“We shouldn’t even be talking about cutting Medicare,” Hawley said, stressing the importance of protecting these programs from becoming political casualties.
Social Security: Still a Lingering Question
Trump has often promised that Social Security won’t be touched, except to crack down on fraud. But some of his comments have raised concerns. Both he and Elon Musk have claimed, without evidence, that “millions” of Social Security recipients are actually dead, a claim the Social Security Administration has firmly denied.
So far, there hasn’t been a formal proposal to cut Social Security. Still, with all the attention on entitlement programs in the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” the future of Social Security feels uncertain. And for the millions of Americans who depend on it, that uncertainty is hard to ignore.