Democratic Rep. John Larson shouts at Republican colleagues during Ways and Means Committee hearing on March 12, 2025.Photo:Rep. John Larson/youtube
Rep. John Larson/youtube
Connecticut Rep. John Larson had a heated exchange with his Republican colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, March 13, berating them for blockingElon Musk’s testimony on possible Social Security cuts.
“Where is Elon Musk?" the 76-year-old Democrat demanded, gesturing toward empty chairs in the hearing room.
“I’m sure he’s a genius and is a very credible person because of the wealth he’s accumulated,” he continued. “But that does not put him above the law, or the responsibility to come before this committee and this Congress.”
“If he’s so great, if these plans and all the fraud and abuse that he’s found are so imminent, why isn’t he here explaining it?” Larson then shouted, addressing Musk’s absence. “You know why. Because he’s out to privatize Social Security.”
Despite Trump’s 2024 campaign promise to not cut “one penny” from Social Security, he’s referred to the government aid as a ”scam” since taking office, while Musk recently called it a “Ponzi scheme.”
“There’s a massive amount of fraud of, basically, people submitting Social Security numbers for Social Security benefits, unemployment, Small Business Administration loans and medical care,” Musk claimed in aFox Businessinterview on March 10. “We’re trying to put a stop to all of that.”
He and Trump have also frequently made claims about Americans remaining on Social Security long after their death. Inhis remarks to a joint session of Congresslast week, Trump said that Social Security databases include millions of Americans with extreme ages, ranging from 110 to 360.
“Money is being paid to many of them, and we’re searching right now,” he said.
A Feb. 19 statementfrom Lee Dudek, acting Social Security commissioner, shed some light on where the president may have gotten those numbers.
“The reported data [of people over 100] are people in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record,” he explained. “These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits.”
Cuts to Social Security, Larson said in his speech on Wednesday, would be devastating nationwide. As he scolded his colleagues, he held a sheaf of papers with the total number of constituents who received the service from each Republican representative’s district.
The Connecticut Democrat and longtime Social Security advocate went on to accuse his Republican colleagues of being more beholden to Trump and Musk than they were to the facts.
“Where’s the independence of the committee?” he yelled. “Where’s the legislature? We’re an equal branch of government.”
Even “shame” couldn’t bring Trump and Musk’s supporters to be honest about their true plans, Larson added.
“[Musk has] been on television the last couple of days talking exactly about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and what he intends to do: privatize it,” he continued. “The American people, some of them may have been born at night, but not last night.”
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., speaks during a news conference on Democrats' plan to “secure and expand” social security in the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.om Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
om Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
Last month, Larson — who has been in Congress since 1999 — also made dramatic headlines for a medical incident that occurred while he was standing on the House floor criticizing Trump and Musk’s power over the federal government.
During his remarks on Feb. 10, the Connecticut congressmanfroze mid-sentence. When he eventually resumed his speech, he spoke in a slower and lower tone, with awkward pauses.
“Fifteen years ago, I had a heart valve replacement due to a variation in the shape of my aortic valve that I was born with,” Larson wrote in a statement posted to X. “Sometimes, people with this condition can later develop symptoms such as the momentary change in speech or movement that was apparent yesterday.”
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He continued, “The doctors have prescribed medication that, according to them, will greatly reduce the chance of this happening again. I will be able to resume an active schedule, including my duties as a Member of Congress, beginning tomorrow, when I plan to be present and voting on the House floor.”
source: people.com
