Most want expansion, not cuts, of entitlement programs
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Former President Donald Trump has officially abandoned his 2016 campaign promise to abolish the Affordable Care Act. He now says he would “make the A.C.A. much better than it is right now and much less expensive,” if he is elected to a second term.
The policy U-turn by the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee comes in response to accusations from President Joe Biden that Trump aims to “terminate” the Obamacare health insurance program.
But Trump’s new emphasis on increasing government involvement in health care, as opposed to eliminating it, is actually more in line with Republican voters than the traditional “repeal and replace” message, according to a new survey by American Compass.
The survey measured 1,000 Americans’ “appetite for government.” What it found was the average Republican is hungry for more federal government solutions — or at least unwilling to remove anything from their current diet.
While Republicans were more likely to have unfavorable views of Washington, D.C., and to prefer rhetoric about lower taxes and smaller government, they showed strong support for expanding or maintaining entitlement programs — Social Security and Medicare — at the core of Congress’ spiraling deficit spending.
Well over half of Republicans (56%) would like to see the federal government do more to support the elderly through Medicare health insurance and Social Security benefits, the poll found. Nearly 40% want the federal government to continue with current levels of support for the elderly. Only 7% would like it to do less.
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