Yet, as the congressional deficit-reduction committee Murray co-chairs gears up, progressive advocates are fretting over just how much zeal she will show in defending Social Security, Medicare and other safety-net programs.
Liberal activists seeking to pressure Murray have been parsing her words and actions for clues – and finding little solace in her steadfast refusal to declare specific cuts in benefits or higher costs for beneficiaries off-limits.
Murray’s traditional supporters have been frustrated in their quest for a “listening session” sought by more than 60 Washington state organizations that want Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security left largely untouched. Matt McAlvanah, Murray’s spokesman, has said previously that such requests are considered based on scheduling availability.
USAction, a national coalition of progressive groups, organized a call-in to Murray’s office last week to demand no compromises on cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, as well as ending “tax breaks for the super-rich.”
“We are very nervous about this [deficit] committee,” said Robby Stern, president of Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans, one of the groups that asked to meet with Murray.
Stern noted that all six Republicans on the 12-member Select Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction oppose raising taxes. That stance, Stern says, would demand equal pugnacity from Murray and her fellow Democrats to ensure that $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years won’t be borne entirely through spending cuts.
But since her pick as the panel’s co-chair last month, Murray has studiously avoided any absolute pronouncements. That includes whether she would insist on letting Bush tax cuts expire for the wealthy or would accept delaying Medicare eligibility until age 67, a proposal floated by President Barack Obama.
In contrast, Rep. Dave Reichert of Auburn, a Republican who has voted to privatize Medicare, nonetheless vowed in an interview last year that raising the retirement age “is not an option.”
Stern said he understands Murray’s guardedness.
“She’s in a position where she has to lead the committee,” Stern said. “She has to make people confident that she’s willing to negotiate.”
Stern said he has “faith” that Murray will fight harder for liberal priorities than Obama, who Stern says has sacrificed progressive ideals for political expediency.
