'Actually, your colleague': CNN host pins GOP senator on Republicans' potential Social Security cuts

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar issued a swift fact-check to Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) on Republicans' potential Social Security cuts.

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) mentioned during an interview earlier this week that "hard decisions" must be made on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He said, "There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved. We just have to have the stomach to take those challenges on."

Speaking with McCormick's GOP colleague, Bice, Keilar mentioned that Vivek Ramaswamy — who Donald Trump selected to lead an initiative to cut government spending — was asked about social security and "would not commit to cuts — instead saying that they would eliminate waste, fraud and abuse."

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The CNN anchor noted, "I think those are some of the things you have in mind when you're talking about efficiencies. But when you look at studies of the amount that would save, if it's actually excised, it's puny. I mean, that is not anywhere close to the number that they're talking about with DOGE. Don't you have to cut social security to hit that number?

Bice replied, "You absolutely do not have to cut social security to hit that number. As a matter of fact, Medicare Medicaid is where we should be looking at trying to find efficiencies. Health care costs have skyrocketed, particularly after Obamacare was implemented, and there are opportunities for us to try to find ways to rein in that spending on the health care side. I also think that there is discretionary spending that we should be looking at, that we can we can tackle. But I don't think social security is something that's even being discussed by house Republicans."

Keilar replied, "Well, it is by one, actually your colleague," before showing a clip of McCormick's recent Fox News interview.

The Georgia lawmaker said, "We've got to bring the Democrats in and talk about social security medicaid, medicare there is hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved. and we know how to do it. we just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on."

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MSNBC's Ari Melber noted in The Beat with Ari Melber Wednesday night:

The reality is, cutting hundreds of billions from these programs, as McCormick suggested, would cost the American people far more than high prices and inflation. Seniors get an average of almost $2,000 in Social Security per month. They’ve paid into the program for decades. Slashing billions from it will hit them, or the country’s future seniors, hard.

Keilar then emphasized, "I mean, this is something that is being discussed by people who are saying the quiet part out loud."

Bice replied, "He actually didn't say cuts, but there are reforms that can be done to social security to actually shore it up. Look, the reality is, if we don't do something in the next eight years or so social security will become insolvent so we have to do something to protect social security now and into the future."

Watch the video below or at this link.

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