Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said he would not support a debt ceiling increase that had cuts for Medicare and Social Security on Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show.”
Sanders was asked a reportedly to be announced debt ceiling deal that would “include fairly significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security disability benefits.”
He responded, “I have not been briefed on it. I know what you know, and if that is in fact true, and I don’t know that it is, I would not support that. Our goal is to expand Social Security benefits, is to push for a Medicare for all single-payer program. I will not be supportive of cuts in those programs.”
Sanders was then asked, “If the debt ceiling depends on, it raising the debt ceiling depends on it, comes down to your vote, is raising the debt ceiling, avoiding that sort of catastrophic effort — catastrophic effect on the economy, would that be worth it?”
Sanders answered, “that’s a hypothetical. I don’t think actually that it’s going to be the case.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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