{"id":6465,"date":"2011-12-08T00:01:19","date_gmt":"2011-12-08T08:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2011\/12\/08\/payroll-tax-cut-will-not-undermine-social-security\/"},"modified":"2011-12-08T00:01:19","modified_gmt":"2011-12-08T08:01:19","slug":"payroll-tax-cut-will-not-undermine-social-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2011\/12\/08\/payroll-tax-cut-will-not-undermine-social-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Payroll Tax Cut Will NOT Undermine Social Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

There has been much confusion about whether extending the payroll tax cut will direct funds away from the Social Security and Medicare trust funds.  Saying that it will has become a standard Republican talking point as an excuse for opposing it, and the confusion has spread to our side of the aisle as well, since most Representatives and Senators have not actually read the bill.  It\u2019s time for the confusion to end.  Extending the payroll tax cut will NOT undermine Social Security.<\/font><\/p>\n

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\"8social-security-check\"As some Republicans, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA), are growing worried that opposing a payroll tax cut extension will undercut their message as anti-tax zealots, other Republicans have opposed the extension at every turn. Despite their staunch opposition to raising taxes on millionaires, these Republicans have cycled through the reasons to avoid providing a tax cut to the middle class that would allow the average family to pocket an extra $1,000 a year<\/strong>.<\/font><\/p>\n

The latest argument to emerge from the GOP has been that extending the payroll tax cut would undermine Social Security, since payroll tax revenue goes directly into the Social Security Trust Fund. Multiple Congressional Republicans have adopted that theory of late, including South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R), who put it to use on CNBC last night…<\/font><\/p>\n

…Watch a compilation:<\/font><\/p>\n