Rep. Mike Kelly’s Voting Record is Filled with Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

Congressman Mike Kelly voted to take health care away from 23 million Americans, including 777,000 in Pennsylvania. Only the last minute thumbs down of the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) prevented the bill Kelly voted for from being passed into law. Not to be deterred, a few months later Kelly voted for a $2 trillion bill, in which the middle class does not get their fair and 83% of the benefit goes to the wealthiest 1%.  Now politicians like Mitch McConnell are already using as an excuse to demand cuts to the American people’s earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. 

In case there were any remaining doubts as to where Kelly stands, he also voted for a budget proposal that would have cut $500 billion from Medicare, privatized the program, raised the eligibility age, and cut benefits by 25 percent! The proposal would also have cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, which millions of seniors rely on for long-term care.

Mike Kelly can’t defend his own horrific record on health care. So instead he spews lies about his opponent Ron DiNicola. In a recent campaign ad, he absurdly tries to paint DiNicola as the real threat to Pennsylvanians’ healthcare, even though DiNicola supports protecting and expanding, never cutting, Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Kelly’s ad brags about the tax bill, claiming it will help the middle class. What doesn’t it mention? Eighty-three percent of the tax cuts go to the wealthiest one percent! Meanwhile, the middle class gets pocket change – and, very soon, cuts to their earned benefits.

The American people are very clear on where they stand. Eighty-four percent of voters, including three-quarters of Republicans, support taking federal action to lower prescription drug prices. So does Ron DiNicola. Sixty-six percent of voters support increasing and expanding – NOT CUTTING – Social Security benefits. So does Ron DiNicola. Sixty-four percent of voters support expanding – NOT CUTTING – Medicare. So does Ron DiNicola.

Mike Kelly opposes all of these very popular policies. Instead, he wants to take health care away from people and make it more difficult for them to afford lifesaving medications. Big pharma has donated over $250,000 to his campaigns, and they are getting their money’s worth.

Kelly has a big fat ZERO from the Alliance for Retired Americans for 2017, and a pitiful three percent lifetime score. Please note Kelly’s lifetime score is two percent LOWER than that of Social Security privatizer-in-chief and Medicare voucherizer-in-chief Paul Ryan! As I sang in the movie “Grease,” “How Low Can You Go?”

If Kelly ran on the agenda he actually supports, it would be blatantly obvious that he serves his corporate donors and not the people of the third district. No working or middle class Pennsylvanians would vote for him, especially not seniors who depend on their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. So instead, he chooses to lie about his record and his intentions.

The words “Social Security” and “Medicare” will not appear on the ballot on November 6th, but this election will determine the future of these essential programs. Voters must be sure to pay attention to the track records of politicians like Mike Kelly, not their empty election-time promises.