December 18, 2024 12:36 PM UTC

Slashing Social Security And Medicare: Lopez Spills The Beans On DOGE

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• by: Colorado Pols

Colorado’s temporary member of Congress Rep. Greg “Please Don’t Google Me” Lopez, elected in June to serve out the remainder of ex-Rep. Ken Buck’s term without posing a primary threat to carpetbagging sensation Rep. Lauren Boebert, is wrapping up his brief foray in office by glomming onto the incipient and much-hyped campaign by billionaire Elon Musk and fellow friend of Donald Trump Vivek Ramaswamy to potentially slash trillions-with-a-T in government spending, putting core institutions like Medicare and Social Security at risk–despite Trump’s pledges on the campaign trail that these vital programs would not see cuts under his administration.

Speaking with Denver7’s Adria Iraheta last week, Temp-Rep. Lopez explained how his weeks in Congress have made him an expert on the Byzantine ins and outs of federal fiscal policy, and he’s brimming with ideas to get in the mix before vacating his seat early next month:

Lopez, who oversees Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, penned a letter to Musk and Ramaswamy on Dec. 5, bringing to their attention “zombie programs” that could be eliminated.

“When you have 1,200 programs that have been expired or no longer authorized by Congress, where we’re spending over $516 billion a year, I think that’s a perfect place to start cutting,” Lopez told Denver7.

While Musk and Ramaswamy no doubt appreciate the input from the rando holding eminent fiscal policy genius Rep. Lauren Boebert’s new seat for her, Lopez’s message on the goals of the DOGE experiment might not age well. Lopez was candid with Denver7 that once-sacrosanct programs will be on the DOGE menu despite Trump’s pledge to protect them:

“I think there we should re-examine all of them. I think here’s the other thing we need to look at is we need to evaluate both Medicaid and Medicare, right, as it pertains to the cost there.” [Pols emphasis]

This week, the liberal nonprofit Social Security Works stopped Rep. Lopez in the hall outside a meeting of the DOGE caucus in Washington, asking him to “stand with President Trump against cuts to Social Security and Medicare.” And rather than stopping to think about the trap he was stepping into, Lopez proceeded to explain that he does not “stand with President Trump” on protecting Social Security and Medicare:

SSW: We’re gonna just keep asking members of the caucus as they come in, sir, can we get a pledge to stand with President Trump against cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits?

LOPEZ: I think you know what, when we look to reduce our national debt, I think these should be on the table, you know, so I am a strong advocate of discussing this and reevaluating it, and I do believe at the end of the day there will be some cuts… [Pols emphasis]

SSW: Cuts to Social Security and Medicare…

LOPEZ: Yes.

SSW: And that’s on the table in the DOGE caucus right now.

LOPEZ: Well, we’re about to find out.

SSW: OK, thank you so much. So there you have a member of the DOGE committee, the DOGE caucus, fully supporting cuts to Social Security, Medicare, ignoring the President…

During President re-elect Trump’s interview with NBC News on December 9th, Trump promised once again that his administration would not “touch” Social Security benefits as part of the DOGE shakedown of government spending. Republicans with an interest in political self-preservation have always been extremely reticent to endorse cuts to the program most Americans expect to rely on for their retirement, with the last attempt to do so ending in disaster for George W. Bush 20 years ago after an Affordable Care Act-level expenditure of political capital.

Greg Lopez won’t be in Congress when the fight over DOGE’s recommended cuts takes place, which could be as late as the summer of 2026 when this unofficial advisory body that deceptively calls itself a “department” reaches its self-imposed deadline. On his way out the door, Lopez is openly calling for Republicans to break Trump’s promise to protect the nation’s most hallowed social safety nets, advice that if taken could table-flip national politics ahead of the midterms.

Lopez is politically clueless, and with that sometimes comes a form of guileless honesty. The quiet part is what is what Lopez says out loud by default.

And that is the last thing Republicans need right now.