GOP congressional candidate says ‘anyone with eyes’ wants to cut Social Security and Medicaid

During an on-air candidate forum in February, Ohio Republican congressional candidate Kevin Coughlin said it’s obvious that cuts to Social Security and Medicaid are one of the only ways to fix the national debt.

The forum was hosted by Chris Long of the Ohio Christian Alliance, who asked Coughlin what Congress can do to fix the national debt. Coughlin said that cuts to the popular benefits programs are obvious to “anyone with eyes.”

“There have to be entitlement reforms, and I know the Democrats are cheering right now that they’re hearing me say that,” Coughlin said. “But anyone with eyes and an honest heart can understand that when half of your budget is being spent on Medicaid and Social Security, and it’s going to go broke very, very quickly, which isn’t going to mean that they’re going to go away, but it’s going to mean that the benefits that people get are going to be cut. You have to start thinking about the sustainability of those programs for people who really need them.”

Coughlin is a former Ohio state senator and representative, having served in the legislature from 1997-2010. Other prominent Republicans like U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick have also publicly toyed with the idea of cutting benefits programs.

Although Social Security needs to be reformed to sustain its current benefit payouts, Republicans have refused to vote on legislation to address the issue when it has been offered by Democrats. The GOP has falsely claimed that Social Security is “going bankrupt” as an excuse to shrink benefits workers have earned over their careers.

Coughlin has also firmly asserted himself as anti-abortion, and he accepted an endorsement from Ohio Right to Life despite running in a pro-abortion district. When Ohio’s Issue 1 reproductive rights ballot measure passed last November, voters in the district Coughlin is vying to represent approved the measure by 58,617 votes.