September 30, 2022

Rick Scott’s MAGA agenda — which is so extreme many Republican candidates have distanced themselves from it — could end all federal programs including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, ACA in 5 years

Rick Scott is one of Smiley’s biggest backers; NRSC has invested more than $750,000 directly into Smiley’s race, Scott fundraises for and talks up Smiley constantly

(Eastsound, WA) – Don’t forget that MAGA Republican Tiffany Smiley, unlike other GOP Senate candidates, has never distanced herself from Rick Scott on the campaign trail; in fact, she has been pretty clear that she’s a big supporter of his deeply unpopular campaign agenda. On March 20, while campaigning in Eastsound, Smiley “said she favored US Senator Rick Scott’s plan in all respects except raising taxes.” Rick Scott, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), released an agenda that, as has been widely reported, would end all federal programs in 5 years — including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Affordable Care Act. The provision Smiley mentioned she disagrees with is federal minimum income tax, separate from Scott’s other disastrous proposals 

This would mean that the nearly 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries in Washington state, and more than 1.4 million Social Security beneficiaries, would face the real possibility of the benefits they earned and rely on abruptly ending or lapsing for uncertain periods of time as lawmakers scramble to negotiate a compromise.

“The agenda Smiley supports would be catastrophic for Washington seniors, people with pre-existing conditions, and anyone who relies on the critical protections in the Affordable Care Act,” said Washington State Democratic Party spokesperson Caitlin Harrington. “Smiley’s endorsement of the reckless plan of one of her campaign’s top financial backers is just the latest example of how she’d be a rubber stamp for MAGA Republicans in the U.S. Senate.”

The impact of this sort of reckless gambling with programs Americans have paid into their entire lives and rely on to be there for them when they retire would be devastating for 97 percent of American seniors and over 65 million Americans. Eliminating the Affordable Care Act would mean insurance companies could charge more for health care, and coverage protections for pre-existing conditions would once again be eliminated. 

Rick Scott’s agenda is so extreme that even MAGA Republicans and Mitch McConnell have attempted to distance themselves from it. 

Smiley frequently touts the support she has received from Rick Scott; Scott recently held a Miami fundraiser for Smiley and other GOP Senate candidates, has funneled money to her through the NRSC, and talks her up frequently on FOX News. Smiley has promised her donors she will “always be a rock-solid conservative vote.”

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