Meeting with a group of senior citizens, U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, wanted to talk about the upcoming anniversary of Social Security, which was signed into law on Aug. 14, 1935. But his audience wanted to talk about current events.
“What are you going to do about the Democrats who are so extreme?” one town hall participant asked, referring to members of the Democratic Socialists of America whose candidates have recently won several Democratic primary elections across the country.
“Why did (President Donald) Trump cut out Medicaid?” Dan Fagin, the president and CFO of CJE Senior Life, asked.
Schneider answered those questions and more, as well as talking about the future of Social Security during a senior town hall Thursday at the Weinberg Community for Senior Living in Deerfield, giving the crowd of more than 40 people insight into the state of the country.
Asked what Democrats will do if they gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the Nov. 3 midterm election, Schneider said he hopes the majority is large enough that U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, becomes speaker with the ability to get laws passed.
Just as current Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has people in his caucus who stymie legislation, Schneider does not want that to happen in a Democrat-controlled Congress. He said there are similarities between the extremes in both parties.
Both the Democratic Socialists and members of the Republican Freedom Caucus are isolationist and exclusive in their desire to push their values with little to no compromise, Schneider said. Then he distinguished them.
“They want to tear it all down,” Schneider said, referring to the Democratic Socialists. “They want to burn everything down,” he added, referring to those he considers the extreme Republicans. “They’re the mirror image of each other.”
As chair of the New Democratic Coalition, Schneider said the moderate group of Democrats is the largest caucus in the House of Representatives. Working across party lines to craft legislation is the best approach, he said.
“The best way to govern is working together,” Schneider said.
Fagin, who heads an organization devoted to enhancing quality of life for older adults, specifically asked Schneider about Medicaid cuts. Schneider said when Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act just over a year ago, around $1 trillion was taken away from Medicaid.
“He did it with the help of Republicans in Congress,” Schneider said. “More than 8 million people have lost or given up their health insurance. Everyone should have quality healthcare from providers they trust.”
When Social Security began as a way to give seniors income when they reached the age of 65, Schneider said few were eligible in 1933. The average lifespan was 67.5 years at the time, meaning payments would be made for only an average of 2½ years.
For the current group of people reaching the age to begin receiving Social Security payments, Schneider said the average lifespan is 88. With more people eligible to receive Social Security and less money being contributed, something has to change.
When fears about the future of Social Security arose in 1986, Schneider said a trust fund was established investing money paid into it in long-term United States Treasury Bills. Its longevity must be secured, he said.
“Social Security is an insurance program,” Schneider said. “We pay into it when you’re working. It provides security for your senior years. It needs to be secured for the next generation and the generations after that.”
Elissa Rolnick Rubinstein, a participant in the event, said after the town hall she is concerned about the agenda of the Democratic Socialists and now has a better understanding of their agenda. She said the country has become progressively more conservative for more than 40 years.
“Since (former President Ronald) Reagan, people have been getting more extreme,” Rubinstein said. “We have to understand all people are the same.”
