Today, the North Carolina Democratic Party held a press conference with Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Jane Whitley, Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, chair of Health Care Justice—NC and retired family physician, and DonnaMarie Woodson, a Charlotte resident who relies on both Social Security and Medicare. 

During the press conference, speakers highlighted how if Senator Thom Tillis’ Republican Party gets their way, Social Security and Medicare could sunset after 5 years, leaving over four million North Carolina seniors and persons with disabilities at risk of losing the benefits they rely on. 

This week, the North Carolina Republican Party signaled their support of this agenda by confirming the plan’s architect, National Republican Senate Campaign Chair Rick Scott, as the keynote speaker of the NCGOP 2022 State Convention in May. In recent interviews, North Carolina U.S. Senate candidates Ted Budd and Mark Walker expressed their support, too.

Click here to watch the full event.

“North Carolinians deserve answers. Unless proven otherwise, this much is clear: Republicans like Senator Tillis are running on an agenda of tax hikes and putting millions of Americans’ Medicare and Social Security benefits in danger. Meanwhile, President Biden and Democrats have a responsible plan to lower deficits and are pushing every day to lower costs,” said Jane Whitley, Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair.

“Over two million elderly and disabled North Carolinians – and their family – rely on Medicare. We should be protecting this program, improving it and extending those protections to all rather than threatening it. Instead, Republicans have proposed increasing taxes on lower income Americans, threatening their finances and sunsetting Social Security and Medicare,” said Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, chair of Health Care Justice—NC and retired family physician. 

“For generations, we’ve made a deal in this country that if you work hard and pay into Social Security and Medicare, you’ll one day receive benefits of those systems. Despite this deal, North Carolina’s Senator Thom Tillis’s Republican Party is planning on sunsetting these programs if they gain back control in November. Simply put, North Carolina seniors and persons with disabilities who rely on Medicare and Social Security can’t afford Republican control,” said DonnaMarie Woodson, a Charlotte resident who relies on both Social Security and Medicare.