Don’t Believe Trump’s Promises About Protecting the Social Safety Net

TwomonthsintoDonaldTrump’ssecondterm,hisRepublicanattackdogs,includingElonMuskandhisminionsatDOGE,arestillbusychewingintomanypartsofthefederalgovernment.ButtheTrumpAdministrationcontinuestopromisethatitwillprotectthreemajorentitlementprogramsthattogetheraccountfornearlyhalfofallfederalspending.“TheTrumpadministrationwillnotcutSocialSecurity,Medicare,orMedicaid,”theWhiteHousewroteinastatementacoupleofweeksago.“PresidentTrumphimselfhassaidit(overandoverandoveragain).” Ofcourse,Trumpsaysmanythingsthatbearlittlerelationtoreality.Duringlastyear’sPresidentialcampaign,heinsistedthathehadnothingtodowithProject2025—theHeritageFoundation’snine-hundred-pageblueprinttoreshapethefederalgovernment,whichdescribesMedicareandMedicaidasthe“principaldriversofour$31trillionnationaldebt.”Loandbehold,oneoftheauthorsofthatreport,RussellVought,isnowthedirectoroftheOfficeofManagementandBudget,where,accordingtohisWhiteHou