In their scramble to out-MAGA each other, GOP presidential hopefuls are continuing their war on the essential programs Americans rely on – threatening to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them.

Multiple GOP presidential hopefuls have suggested they would come after Social Security benefits for younger Americans.

Semafor: “Republican presidential candidates are talking about changing Social Security benefits for younger workers to stave off a looming insolvency, putting them in line with pre-Trump proposals that also sought to shield current and near-retirees from cuts. Ron DeSantis has suggested people in their ‘thirties and their forties’ could be affected, for example. Mike Pence and Nikki Haley have made similar comments.”

2024 Republicans have made clear that if elected, Social Security and other critical programs could be on the chopping block.

CNN: “Former President Donald Trump once backed raising the retirement age to 70 and called for privatizing Social Security which he called a ‘Ponzi scheme’ – two positions he has hammered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting as a former member of Congress and congressional candidate. … The campaign has also cited DeSantis’ praise of Paul Ryan’s budget plans during his 2012 congressional campaign with comments that expressed support for privatizing Social Security and Medicare – but a CNN KFile review found Trump himself also once praised Ryan on Medicare, along with the 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, without praising their specific policy proposal, which called for similar changes to Ryan’s plan.”

Yahoo: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely considered to be Trump’s chief competitor for the nomination at the moment — if he decides to get in the race — regularly supported increasing the retirement age for Social Security when he was in Congress.”

Pence: “I think we can replace the New Deal programs … to give options to younger Americans to invest a portion of their Social Security in a private savings account.”

Scott: “We also have to look at the overall entitlement state of our nation. … In order for us to tame the tiger, we’re going to have to take a serious look at the overall entitlement state that we have.”

Washington Post: “Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador … 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.’”