DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika released the following statement: 

“If you think Nikki Haley is a moderate, then you haven’t been paying attention — but voters know better. Haley doesn’t want to ‘reform’ Social Security, she wants to gut it. While Haley campaigns on ending Social Security and Medicare as we know them, threatening the health and financial security of America’s seniors, voters are watching — they’ve rejected this extreme, MAGAnomics agenda before and they’ll do so again next November.”

Nikki Haley continues to campaign on ending Social Security and Medicare as we know them — ripping away essential programs America’s seniors rely on. 

CNN: “Haley has called for several changes to the nation’s safety net programs, including increasing the age at which today’s younger workers would become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits and limiting the growth of benefits the wealthy receive.”

“Nearly 67 million Americans have received monthly Social Security benefits this year, and more than 66 million people are enrolled in Medicare. Polling shows little support for major changes to the programs themselves to help shore up their finances.

“A March CNN/SSRS poll of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, for instance, found that 59% said it was ‘essential’ that the GOP nominee for president ‘pledges to maintain Social Security and Medicare as they are.’”

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: “[Haley] wants to raise the retirement age for young people in particular, at a time when life expectancy in this country is dropping. … It’s also important to dig into what she says she would actually do as president. You might find it isn’t so moderate after all.”

Haley has a consistent, extreme record of pushing devastating cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Andrew Ross Sorkin: “Are you on board with cutting entitlements in a big and meaningful way?”

Haley: “Social security goes bankrupt in 10 years, Medicare goes bankrupt in eight. Anyone that says they’re not going to take on entitlement reform means they’re going to go in and be president and leave the country bankrupt. You can’t do that.”

Associated Press: “Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is proposing changes to entitlement programs for younger generations, opening the door to potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare if elected.”

Washington Post: “Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U. N. ambassador who is planning to announce her own presidential bid this month, also praised Ryan’s Medicare proposal at the time and said lawmakers should examine Medicare and Social Security spending to address federal debt.

“‘What they need to be doing is looking at entitlements,’ Haley said in a 2010 interview on Fox News. ‘Look at Social Security. Look at Medicaid. Look at Medicare. Look at these things, and let’s actually go to the heart of what is causing government to grow, and tackle that.’”

Haley: “Any candidate that says they’re not going to touch entitlements, means that they’re basically going to go into office and leave America bankrupt. … We change retirement age to reflect life expectancy.”

Semafor: “As governor of South Carolina at the time, Nikki Haley praised the [Paul Ryan] fiscal blueprint for ‘trying to bring common sense to this world of insanity.’”

Haley has repeatedly called for repealing the Affordable Care Act — which would rip away health care coverage from millions of Americans — and has also railed against Medicaid expansion.

Jack Heath: “They’re going ahead and saying you would repeal the Affordable Care Act. Would you?”

Haley: “It’s not about one small policy of, you know, Affordable Care Act. It’s about fixing the entire health care system.”

Haley: “We have fought Obamacare in South Carolina as much as we possibly could. We said no to the state exchanges. We said no to the Medicaid expansion. … They just turned and set every state back with this bill that we know did not work.”

Haley: “When it came to Obamacare, we didn’t just say ‘no,’ we said ‘never.’ … And we’re going to keep on fighting until we get people like [Senator Tim Scott] and everybody else in Congress to defund Obamacare.”

Haley: “We would end a disastrous health care program, and replace it with reforms that lowered costs and actually let you keep your doctor.”

NBC News: “Haley opposed efforts to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (South Carolina remains just one of 11 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid to allow more Americans to have health insurance).”

Haley: ‘They’re trying to throw Obamacare and tell us that we have to bust our budgets and expand Medicaid. … Not in South Carolina. As long as I am the governor of South Carolina, we will not expand Medicaid on President Obama’s watch. We will not expand Medicaid ever.”

Haley backs a national abortion ban and recently pledged her support for extreme abortion bans before many women know they’re pregnant.

New York Times: “Nikki Haley Says She Would Have Signed Six-Week Abortion Ban as Governor”

Bob Vander Plaats: “If you were governor of South Carolina and that came to your desk, would you sign the heartbeat bill?”

Haley: “Yes.”

Politico: “Haley, who ‘often clashed with members of her party because she labeled them insufficiently conservative’ on abortion,

• ‘co-sponsored legislation in 2009 mandating a 24-hour waiting period between a woman’s abortion consultation and the procedure itself’
• ‘voted to end abortion coverage for victims of rape and incest in the state health plan for employees’
• ‘signed the most conservative abortion bill South Carolina Republicans were able to pass through both chambers at the time,’ and the law did not include exceptions for rape and incest.”

Kirsten Welker: “Would you support a 15-week federal limit?”

Haley: “I would support anything that would pass.”

Haley: “Whatever we can get 60 Senate votes on, isn’t that better than what we have now? And if it’s– if it’s six weeks, that’s great. If it’s 15 weeks, that’s great.” 

Fox News: “Nikki Haley, 2024 Republican candidate, vows to sign federal abortion ban if elected president”

Haley: “Yes of course I would sign [a federal ban].”

Haley spent last year campaigning with election deniers after saying she wasn’t supporting candidates who supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and she made notorious election denier Don Bolduc her New Hampshire campaign chair.

Haley in October 2022: “Everybody that I’m helping acknowledges the fact that the elections, you know, were real.”

Washington Post: “[Haley] has endorsed and campaigned with a slate of Senate candidates who reject or question the 2020 election results as she positions herself as a potential 2024 presidential candidate. Haley appeared at a rally Tuesday with Don Bolduc of New Hampshire, who insisted Trump won the election and that President Biden was illegitimate … She also campaigned with Adam Laxalt of Nevada, who led the Trump campaign’s efforts to overturn the results in that state. And she endorsed Ted Budd of North Carolina, who as a congressman voted against certifying the electoral college results on Jan. 6, 2021.”

Deseret News: “Nikki Haley adds controversial former U.S. Senate candidate to campaign team”

“Don Bolduc, a retired Army general and former U.S. Senate candidate, is the new chair for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s New Hampshire campaign, the Haley campaign announced Tuesday morning. Bolduc made national headlines during his 2022 Senate campaign … for his controversial views on COVID-19 and the 2020 election.”

Fox News: “Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has secured the endorsement of a top Trump ally, House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman. … His support comes despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of his re-election the 2022 midterm elections and also after Norman did not vote to certify the 2020 election, in a nod to his loyalty to Trump.”

Haley put the rich and powerful over working families as governor of South Carolina and now wants to go even further by making permanent Trump’s tax breaks that handed the ultra-wealthy and big corporations billions in tax cuts while running up the deficit. 

Haley: “Well I think what I’d like to see is us go back to what Trump had under the tax cuts under him … I was there.”

Forbes: “Trump Tax Cuts Helped Billionaires Pay Less Taxes Than The Working Class In 2018”

CBS News: “Two years after Trump tax cuts, middle-class Americans are falling behind”

Aiken Standard: “Gov.-elect Nikki Haley, who takes office next week, campaigned on eliminating the state’s corporate income tax.”

Augusta Chronicle: “State budget advisers predict eliminating South Carolina’s corporate income tax over four years, as both Haley and House Republicans propose, would reduce state revenues by $61.6 million in the first year and $218.3 million annually when the phase-out is complete.”