Cindy Rosenwald

For decades, Granite State seniors have paid into programs like Social Security and Medicare with the promise they would receive their hard-earned money back to help them during retirement. This has been the promise for generations. Now, Don Bolduc wants to break that fundamental promise and turn his back on seniors — threatening to completely end Social Security and Medicare as we know them.

Social Security and Medicare are some of the most popular programs in the United States, and they are a lifeline for our seniors here in New Hampshire. Over 321,000 Granite Staters are on Social Security, and 307,000 are Medicare beneficiaries. From seniors on fixed incomes who use their Social Security check to buy groceries and pay rent to adults with disabilities who benefit from affordable Medicare coverage, I hear from Granite Staters every day about how important these programs are.

That’s why it’s so alarming that these programs are in jeopardy under Don Bolduc’s extreme vow to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them. He has promised to ensure that “we no longer have Social Security,” and said it was “for a different time, for a different place.” He also suggested we slash $2 trillion from the program. Just last week, he doubled down by saying Social Security has “been there since 1935, it’s time for change.”

Bolduc has also promised to end Medicare as we know it. He proposed cutting $1.2 trillion from the program, stripping access to health insurance, and making prescription drugs more expensive for seniors and people with disabilities. This August, at a town hall in Pembroke, he vowed to end Medicare as we know it, saying, “The privatization is hugely important,” and, “Getting government out of it, getting government money with strings attached out of it.” What’s more, Bolduc has also repeatedly opposed allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, which will lower costs for seniors, and he has supported raising the retirement age and gutting the Cost-of-Living Adjustment — a slap in the face to seniors.

If Bolduc gets his way and destroys these critical safety nets, Granite Staters will suffer. His dangerous desire to decimate the programs that help us most is out of touch and immediately disqualifying.

But there is another way.

Sen. Maggie Hassan has always had our backs. She has a proven record of working to lower costs for seniors. For years, she led the fight against Big Pharma to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and bring down costs. This year, through Senator Hassan’s leadership, Congress finally got it done. There’s a new law that will soon lower prescription drug prices and cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare. This will make a real difference. Senator Hassan has also worked across the aisle to end surprise medical billing, and she has been a steadfast advocate for making sure older Granite Staters have the care and resources they need. Senator Hassan puts seniors first, and she won’t stand for attacks on Social Security and Medicare. Ever.

Don Bolduc’s radical intentions are crystal clear: End Social Security and Medicare, and turn his back on Granite State seniors. He has told us this is what he will do if given the chance, and we must believe him. We must vote against Bolduc and his extreme agenda this November. It’s time to re-elect a champion for New Hampshire seniors, and that is why Senator Maggie Hassan has my vote.

Cindy Rosenwald is a state senator for the 13th District, representing six of Nashua’s nine wards.

Newsletter