Portal:Fix the Debt/AFL-CIO

Damon Silvers on CNBC

The deal struck by Congress to avoid a debt default sets up a series of deadlines for a new budget deal and many believe that Social Security and Medicare are in danger. The usually mild mannered Policy Director of the nation's largest union federation sounded the alarm in the strongest terms. Damon Silvers of the AFL-CIO warned Democrats in a Salon interview that "chained CPI" as was proposed in President Obama's budget, would be "fratricide for the Democratic Party." The following is excerpted from a Salon article.

“The labor movement is going to fight to the death to stop cuts to Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid,” AFL-CIO policy director Damon Silvers told Salon Thursday afternoon. “Not ‘unreasonable cuts.’ Not ‘cuts without tax increases.’ Cuts period. We’re against all of them, we will fight them ferociously, and we will give no cover to any Democrat who supports them.”

Silvers said it would be “simply an invitation to a fratricide in the Democratic Party” for the president to take up a renewed push for “chained CPI,” a proposed change in cost of living calculations that would reduce future Social Security benefits. “It hits the absolute most vulnerable people …” charged Silvers. “It’s a proposal that has no merit at all other than that billionaires like it.”

He also called out billionaire Pete Peterson, who funds several groups advocating for cuts. “They’ve got the vampire agenda: No matter what happens, no matter how many bullets you fire at it, these guys keep coming back with all their money and demanding that we cut Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid …” said Silvers. “We’re gonna fight that stuff with everything we’ve got, and we’re gonna win, because the public’s with us.”