FULCHER: Must stand up for retirees

Dear Editor, as a retiree, I worked my whole life and paid into Social Security and Medicare, expecting them to be there when I needed them.

But right now, President Trump and his allies in Congress, including Rep. Fulcher, are enacting the Project 2025 playbook — attacking the very programs retirees rely on. They are already working to privatize Medicare, cut Medicaid, and raise the retirement age.

They have stood by while Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” was given access to retirees’ financial data and are working to purge the career public servants who make sure Social Security and Medicare benefits are paid on time. If Rep. Fulcher truly cares about the retirees in Idaho, they must reject these attacks, oppose any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, and stop President Trump’s reckless agenda.

Retirees built this country. We will not sit by while our hard-earned benefits are dismantled. The Many Faces of Social Security:

• Nearly 184 million workers contribute to Social Security through payroll taxes.

• Over 68 million people receive monthly Social Security benefits: Nearly 54 million people receive retirement benefits, 5.8 million people receive survivors’ benefits, 8.4 million people receive disability benefits. Average August 2024 Monthly Social Security Benefit:

• A retired worker: $1,872

• A retired couple: $3,033

• Disabled worker: $1,539

• Disabled worker with spouse and child: $2,452

• Widow or widower: $1,784

• Young widow or widower with two children: $3,990

• Maximum Monthly Social Security Benefit: $3,822 (for worker retiring at Full Retirement Age). Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025:

DALE R. BROADSWORD

Rathdrum