Democrats and progressive advocacy organizations are closely scrutinizing Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) prior support for significant entitlement reductions, given that he is now spearheading a deficit commission that could draw attention to this matter in the run-up to the 2024 election.

During his State of the Union address, President Biden criticized congressional Republicans for their desire to reduce the program. While experts in budgeting argue that Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, as they currently stand, are unsustainable, while most Republicans recognize the political challenges linked to reducing benefits, they remain resistant to raising taxes to strengthen these programs.

Mike Johnson’s resolute support for trillions of dollars in cuts during his tenure as the chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) could serve as a template for GOP budget plans if the party reclaims authority within the government.

In his first speech after being elected Speaker, Johnson underscored, “The greatest threat to our national security is our nation’s debt.” He stressed that tackling this challenge wouldn’t be straightforward and that it would involve tough decisions, but the ramifications of not taking action would be intolerable.

Johnson has pledged to quickly establish a bipartisan debt commission and hinted at the imminent appointment of its members.

The idea of a 16-member debt commission responsible for evaluating the stability of Social Security and Medicare was first proposed by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during negotiations on the debt limit.

Entitlements have long been a politically sensitive issue, however, certain members within the GOP sought to leverage the debt ceiling negotiations to obtain commitments for the reduction of entitlement spending.

At present, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security together constitute almost half of the entire federal budget, with a combined annual cost of $2.7 trillion.

The commission’s recommendations would receive priority consideration by Congress. However, the final vote on these recommendations would be scheduled for the lame-duck session immediately following the 2024 election, creating maximum distance between voters and representatives.

Though the White House initially criticized McCarthy’s proposal, it was eventually incorporated into a stopgap government funding bill introduced in September. The proposed bill would have involved a substantial cut of almost 30 percent in discretionary spending for a majority of domestic programs.

Nonetheless, The bill did not progress due to internal conflicts among House GOP members, and the commission was not included in the legislation that eventually passed both chambers to keep the government funded through mid-November.

Despite these setbacks, Speaker Johnson remains determined, underlining the importance of bringing together conscientious individuals from both sides of the political spectrum for constructive deliberations is his foremost focus.

While Johnson refrains from imposing specific benchmarks or objectives, Democrats and left-wing advocacy groups argue that his track record speaks for itself. They express concerns that Johnson’s proposed commission is designed to provide political cover for cutting Americans’ earned benefits.

Mike Johnson, during his tenure as RSC chair in 2020, authored a budget that proposed raising the eligibility ages for Medicare and Social Security, alongside calling for $2 trillion in cuts to Medicare and $750 billion in cuts to Social Security. The proposal also envisaged converting Medicare into a premium support program, where private plans would compete in parallel with traditional Medicare, and beneficiaries would utilize vouchers to acquire coverage from either private or Medicare plans.

Johnson’s past advocacy for spending reductions in Social Security and Medicare aligns with the enduring Republican ideology. Historically, GOP leaders have criticized Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid as socialist endeavors that jeopardize individual freedoms and are inefficient.

Earlier this year, the RSC, currently chaired by Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), presented a budget proposal that proposed a gradual increase in the Social Security retirement age to 69. The RSC, as the largest conservative bloc in the House, includes nearly 80 percent of all Republicans. Nevertheless, a faction of members contends that the group’s suggestions should not be regarded with seriousness, perceiving them as mere political posturing.