Tina Marshall is the North Carolina Democratic Party's Senior Caucus chair.

For generations, we’ve made a deal in this country that if you work hard and pay into Social Security and Medicare, you’ll one day receive benefits of those systems.

Despite this deal, Republicans are planning on sunsetting these programs if they gain back control in November – underscoring the urgent need to protect our Democratic majorities in Washington.

We should all be alarmed about the Republican Party’s agenda to sunset federal legislation like Social Security and Medicare. Like millions of North Carolinians, I rely on the Medicare and Social Security benefits that I spent my life paying into. Without Medicare, I would struggle to afford expensive medical bills for doctor visits and medications I need, and without Social Security, I wouldn’t get payments I rely on to pay bills.

I’m not alone. Roughly 40 million people in our country have a disability. In North Carolina, more than 2 million North Carolinians rely on Medicare and over two million people in our state rely on Social Security. These programs aren’t just heavily utilized – they’re extremely popular.

In 2020, a poll conducted by AARP showed that Social Security has 90 percent support from folks across political lines – Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Likewise, Medicare is one of the most popular government-funded programs in the country, with 77 percent of Americans viewing Medicare as “very important.”

These programs’ popularity isn’t by chance – they play a critical role in many Americans’, and North Carolinians’, lives. For some, Social Security serves as critical disability insurance, helping folks battle multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure, paralysis, and so much more.

For others, Medicare is the difference between seniors seeking or foregoing essential medical care for everything from a sinus infection to a hip replacement. And for all of us, Social Security and Medicare provide dignity and access to the health care we all need and deserve.

Even with Medicare and Social Security being some of the most popular programs in the country, and widely used by all, Republicans are headed into the 2022 midterms with a plan that would sunset all federal legislation, including Medicare and Social Security, after five years – putting at risk the millions of Americans who rely on the services these crucial programs provide.

This is nothing new. For years, Republicans have threatened to make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, and now, under Florida Senator and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott’s leadership, they’re pushing a plan that would sunset the programs entirely – leaving behind the combined 4 million-plus North Carolinians who rely on these government-funded programs.

Meanwhile, the difference between what President Biden and Democrats are doing to reduce deficits,bolster Social Security and protect Medicare by making the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share could not be more stark.

For starters, President Biden has proposed a Billionaire Minimum Income Tax on our country’s wealthiest, which would reduce the deficit by more than $360 billion over the next decade while not raising taxes on anyone making under $400,000 per year. The Biden-Harris administration is also taking critical steps to lower costs for Americans by taking executive actions to help lower gas prices, manufacture more here at home in America, break up supply chain bottlenecks that are raising prices, increase competition and fighting to lower health care costs by protecting and building on the Affordable Care Act – first passed by President Obama and then Vice President Biden in 2010.

This November, the choice couldn’t be clearer and stakes couldn’t be higher. We need to do everything to protect our Democratic majorities in Washington – Republican control would mean putting millions of North Carolinians’ Medicare and Social Security benefits in danger – while President Biden and Democrats have a responsible plan to lower deficits and are pushing every day to lower costs.

Simply put, North Carolina seniors and persons with disabilities who rely on Medicare or Social Security can’t afford Republican control.

Tina Marshall is based in Charlotte and serves as the North Carolina Democratic Party’s Senior Caucus chair.

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