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Why Donald Trump Dodged Chris Wallace’s Question About Social Security and Medicare

Why Donald Trump Dodged Chris Wallace’s Question About Social Security and Medicare

Donald Trump's tax plan spells disaster for Social Security and Medicare.

A question about Social Security and Medicare? Blink and you’d miss it — especially in a debate where a presidential nominee suggested he might not acknowledge his opponent’s victory, endangering the American tradition of peaceful transition of power.

But down to the wire, with just a few minutes left in the final presidential debate, moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace managed to get in a question to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump about preserving these important programs.

Donald Trump’s response? Returning yet again to a favorite line of attack for GOP politicians seeking to explain everything that’s wrong with America, he called for repealing the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. In this case, however, blaming the ACA is especially bizarre, since the reforms in the law are already workingto make the health care system more efficient. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing the ACA would drive up Medicare costs by more than $800 billion over 10 years.

The above excerpt was originally published in Morning Consult. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Ryan Erickson

Associate Director, Economic Campaigns

Harry Stein

Director, Fiscal Policy