Baldwin pledges to protect Medicare, Social Security in speech to DNC

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin promised to protect Medicare and Social Security during brief remarks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Thursday night.

Baldwin spoke for just two-and-a-half minutes on the DNC’s main stage, hours before Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to accept her party’s nomination. Baldwin has been a regular speaker at Democratic conventions dating back to her days in the U.S. House.

Her race against Republican businessman Eric Hovde is considered a must-win for Democrats in order for them to have a shot at maintaining their slim majority in the U.S. Senate.

Baldwin did not mention Hovde by name in her remarks, focusing instead on former President Donald Trump.

Baldwin was raised by her grandparents, and she told the audience that as they grew older, it was her privilege to be there for them.

“So when I work to protect Medicare and Social Security, I do it with a personal knowledge of what those big programs meant in small but deeply meaningful ways to my grandparents,” Baldwin said. “And I know what they mean for your parents and grandparents.”

Baldwin told delegates “that is all at risk today,” referencing comments Trump made in March.

“Donald Trump was asked what he would do about Social Security and Medicare, and he said, and I quote, ‘There’s a lot you can do in terms of cutting.’”

Trump made the comments on CNBC, telling the business news network that “there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” Days later, he sought to walk them back, saying he would never do anything to jeopardize Medicare or Social Security.

Baldwin said the threat of cuts to both programs came as Trump was promising tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.

“Kamala Harris is not going to let that happen, and Tim Walz is not going to let that happen,” Baldwin said of the Democratic presidential ticket. “We are not going to let that happen.”

Thursday morning, Baldwin addressed Wisconsin delegates at their daily breakfast meeting, focusing her remarks there on Hovde’s wealth. She noted that Hovde owns a home and a bank in California, and was named by California’s Orange County Business Journal as one of their most influential people.

“We have a Green County. We have a Brown County. But Wisconsin does not have an Orange County,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin’s comments come roughly a month after Hovde addressed GOP delegates at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. He used his speech to describe Baldwin as a “rubber stamp” for President Joe Biden. Five days later, Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Harris.

In a written statement issued after Baldwin’s remarks, Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming blamed Baldwin for inflation and “lawlessness at the southern border.”

“Wisconsinites deserve better than another round of dwindling savings and crumbling borders,” Schimming said. “Eric Hovde knows that what all working families want are lower prices and real security. That begins this November with retiring Tammy Baldwin.”