Donald Trump warned Tuesday that if the Democrats don’t approve funding, there are dangers to the future of Social Security and Medicare.
Trump said at a press conference that when he asked Democrats for feedback on the funding bills, one said, “It means death.”
“There’s nothing about death,” Trump said. “Theirs is death because they’re going to lose Medicaid, they’re going to lose Social Security, they’re going to lose Medicare, all of those things are going to be gone because the whole country would be bankrupt, and you’re not going to have any kind of medical insurance.”
This is pitiful reporting by Newsweek. They’re happy to state what each side is saying about the situation, and they fail to do even the most basic research to fact check any of the statements.
The article cites Republicans as saying that Democrats “want to provide free health care to illegal aliens”. The heavy implication is that without the budget Reps are trying to push, we will be paying for that or that Dems wouldn’t approve a budget that didn’t - which is just patently untrue.
Ignoring that hospitals will, of course, provide emergency care to anyone (not for free, mind), and focusing on the idea of major U.S. benefits programs providing help to undocumented immigrants… they just don’t. They go to Americans and qualifying resident non-citizens, i.e. green-card holders, etc. who have been here 5+ years (Medicare) or have paid enough into the relevant taxes (Social Security). Medicaid is similar.
This is stuff I was previously familiar with and was able to verify in minutes using basic internet resources.
Republicans say or imply benefit money will go to undocumented immigrants unless this budget is passed, which is patently untrue and easy to check on. That Newsweek gives Republicans voice throughout the article to their claims, some false and some unfounded, but only gives one Democrat a quote - one that focuses on the shutdown itself more than the funding/benefit claims - is bullshit.
I’m not saying it’s wrong Newsweek didn’t give equal “time” to each side. I’m saying it’s wrong they spend so much of the article quoting misinformation from Republicans without any clear fact-checking.
There’s a quote, one with various forms and attributions, that posits to journalists:
It ALWAYS is, my man, it always is…
(I recommend to substitute “Newsweek” with “Main Stream Media”, for best results ! )
Our media is bought and paid for by wealthy interests who want all this.
It’s actually ironic that MAGA were right that a lot of mainstream media couldn’t be trusted… Just for the wrong fucking reasons and instead of being skeptical and thoughtful they just started listening to random asshats on the internet.