October 08, 2026

Texas Retirees Blast Ken Paxton for Calling for Social Security and Medicare Cuts, Telling Americans to ‘Suck It Up’

DALLAS — The Texas Alliance for Retired Americans today blasted U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton after newly released audio revealed his support for cuts to federal benefit programs, including potentially Social Security and Medicare.

Speaking at a private fundraiser with Washington lobbyists, Paxton called for “reasonable cuts to mandatory spending” and declared, “We have to suck it up.”

“Ken Paxton has a lot of nerve telling working Americans to ‘suck it up’ and accept cuts to the benefits they’ve spent their lives earning,” said Gene Lantz, President of the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans. “There is no ‘reasonable’ amount to cut from the Social Security checks retirees depend on to pay their bills or the Medicare benefits they need to see a doctor and get their prescriptions.

“Congress is already facing a deadline to prevent devastating Social Security cuts beginning in 2032. The next U.S. senator from Texas will have to vote on whether to protect our earned benefits or cut them. Ken Paxton’s comments should alarm every retiree in Texas and across the country. We cannot afford cuts to Social Security or Medicare, and we cannot trust Ken Paxton with our retirement security.”

According to the latest Social Security Trustees’ Report, without Congressional action, Social Security beneficiaries face automatic, across-the-board benefit cuts of 22 percent beginning in 2032, roughly $400 per month for the average Texas retiree.

More than 4.9 million Texans receive Social Security each month and 4.7 million rely on Medicare each month.

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The Texas Alliance for Retired Americans is a state affiliate of the national Alliance for Retired Americans, with more than 165,000 members statewide. The Alliance’s grassroots members work for a healthy and secure retirement for all Americans.

Contact: Lisa Cutler, lcutler@retiredamericans.org