Will this promise hold?

Dear Editor,

Senior citizen President Donald Trump and birthright anchor baby, multi-billionaire and unelected-to-any-government-position citizen Elon Musk want to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. In an Oct. 26, 2024, political rally in Lancaster, Pa., citizen Musk talked about changing the tax code and said there would be some financial difficulty imposed on some Americans. He also said the budget reduction efforts would lead to “temporary hardship.”

Social Security and Medicare account for more than $2 trillion of federal spending, so eliminating those programs would immediately achieve the spending cut goal set by our President and his unelected assistant, citizen Musk. This cut is unlikely to happen because both our President and citizen Musk qualify or will qualify for benefits from those programs. They have a personal interest in maintaining these programs because it puts money in THEIR pockets; they will suffer no “temporary hardship.” In his campaign, the President promised not to cut Social Security and Medicare; however, since winning the election, he has reversed several other campaign promises. So, will this promise hold?

There is another government program that neither our elderly president nor citizen Musk qualify for. Neither individual served in the U.S. military and, therefore, do not qualify for veterans benefits, so any cut to that program will not personally affect their financial well being. Reducing benefits and services for veterans will certainly help meet the spending cuts proposed by our billionaire president and “richest man in the world,” citizen Musk. Accordingly, they will suffer no “temporary hardship.”

The Sallisaw Veterans Center opens this month, and it is (or was) expected to employ up to 300 workers. President Trump’s administration, which includes unelected citizen Musk, is urging, asking and demanding current federal employees resign in order to reduce the size of the federal work force. Adding 300 jobs to staff the Sallisaw Veterans Center runs counter to cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget. Again, President Trump and citizen Musk will suffer no “temporary hardship” as a result of possible cuts to fund our veterans center.

But, what does this mean for our new veterans center and the 300 employees looking forward to their new government positions? These federal budget cuts seem far off in Washington D.C., but they could have serious impacts for our local families and economic outlook. If you’re concerned or may be impacted by possible changes, contact your legislators now to voice your opinion.

LYNDA ZIMMERMAN