Democrats are launching a last-minute attack: GOP wants to cut entitlements

Democratic candidates are talking a little less about abortion and little more about Medicare and Social Security

Democrats have a new closing argument in the midterm elections: Republicans are a threat to Medicare and Social Security.

It’s an attack President Biden will deploy in remarks in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., today, just a week before Americans head to the polls on Election Day. 

Democrats have begun shifting some ad resources away from abortion in a bid to appeal to undecided voters who haven’t been moved by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. They’re focusing more on entitlement benefits, as Republicans hammer Democrats on inflation and crime, our colleague Hannah Knowles reports. Other data points from her story: 

• The share of Democratic ads mentioning abortion has ticked down 10 percentage points from its peak of close to 50 percent in early October, according to AdImpact, which tracks commercials.
• Over the past few weeks, Democratic candidates in tight races have been talking more about Medicare and Social Security, per an analysis of social media posts, newsletters and TV ads.

The messaging recalibration comes as Republicans have become increasingly confident they’ll retake the House. The battle to control the narrowly divided Senate appears to be a true toss-up.

The notion of cutting or ending Social Security and Medicare crops up frequently during election cycles with Democrats believing it’s a salient message for attempting to sway older voters.

“Politically, it’s not realistic to believe that that’s going to happen,” said G. William Hoagland, a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, who worked for former Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). “I do hope that responsible members of Congress recognize that the programs do need reform if they are to maintain their benefits for future generations.”

Here’s a look at what Republicans have said:

In September, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) formally rolled out his campaign season agenda, dubbed “Commitment to America.” The blueprint was vague on Social Security and Medicare, simply saying the party would “save and strengthen” the two popular federal entitlement programs. 

But the Republican Study Committee, a large caucus of conservative House Republicans, put out a more detailed blueprint of how it’d change Medicare earlier this year. The RSC’s 122-page budget contains several changes to Medicare that would be contentious. This includes …

• Increasing the Medicare eligibility age to 67 and then indexing the changes to life expectancy.
• Expanding site neutral payments so that Medicare pays providers the same rate no matter if they’re…