Van Drew for Congress

To the Editor: 
I watched the debate Oct. 10 between Jeff Van Drew, Democratic candidate for Congress, and Seth Grossman, the Republican candidate. There were a lot of things stated by the candidates that night, but one, in particular, stood out to me, and that was the candidates’ views on Social Security and Medicare.
Sen. Van Drew stated emphatically that these programs constitute a promise between the federal government and the senior citizen population. He continues to support these programs and opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
Conversely, Grossman maintained emphatically that if elected, these programs would absolutely be on the chopping block because the deficit is huge and growing, and the programs are unsustainable.
What Grossman failed to mention was the Trump administration’s huge tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy. These tax cuts will increase the deficit over the next decade by a trillion dollars, almost $100 billion more a year in deficits.
To protect Social Security and Medicare, support Jeff Van Drew Nov. 6.
ED. NOTE: When asked if Seth Grossman, during the Oct. 10 debate with Sen. Jeff Van Drew at Stockton University, stated that if elected, Social Security and Medicare would be on the chopping block, Teddie O’Keefe, Grossman’s media relations person, in an email to the Herald Oct. 22 stated, “No, Seth Grossman never made such a statement. Regarding the subject of Social Security (SS), he stated the truth that if nothing was done about SS – and it continued on the same path, it would literally run out of money in about eight years. It is a problem (that) would have to be addressed, including that the past administrations had reallocated Social Security funds to the General Fund. Also, he never said that Medicare was on the chopping block.”