Local retiree Kerry Melancon, 72, learns that the Republican administration he has supported since 2016 might implement the exact Social Security policies he voted for.
Melancon's post, which begins with support for President Trump's agenda including efforts to "weed out illegals and boost the job market," goes on to complain that Social Security's cost-of-living adjustments fail to keep pace with rising healthcare costs. The post does not appear to acknowledge that the Republican Study Committee—representing nearly 80 percent of House Republicans—has proposed raising the Social Security retirement age to 69, which would cut benefits for 257 million Americans.
For 2026, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a 2.8 percent increase, or approximately $56 per month on average. However, Medicare Part B premiums will jump by $17.90 to $202.90 monthly, consuming roughly one-third of that increase. This leaves many seniors with a net gain of around $38 per month before accounting for other rising costs.
Melancon worked until age 70 before claiming Social Security, apparently unaware that under Republican Study Committee proposals, workers in their 30s and 40s would see their full retirement age increase to 69, resulting in benefit cuts of approximately 13 percent, or around $3,500 annually.
"They have taken money from Social Security to pay for other programs," Melancon wrote in his post, seemingly unperturbed by House Republican appropriators' proposal to cut $450 million from the Social Security Administration's administrative budget, which Democrats warn will worsen customer service for the very people trying to access their benefits.
The post concludes with Melancon remaining "an American supporting our country," apparently confident that the policies he supports will somehow exempt him from their consequences. When reached for comment, Melancon declined to explain how eliminating benefits for "illegals who never paid into it" would address the Medicare premium increases that affect all beneficiaries regardless of immigration status.
