“Republicans are plowing ahead with their closed-door commission designed to cut Social Security and Medicare,” said Social Security Works president Nancy Altman.

With the help of three Democratic members, the Republican-controlled House Budget Committee on Thursday advanced legislation to establish a fiscal commission that critics say is a trojan horse for Social Security and Medicare cuts.

The final vote to send the bill to the full House was 22-12, with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) joining every present Republican in supporting the Fiscal Commission Act.

The committee rejected four proposed Democratic amendments, including one supporting tax hikes on the rich to bolster Social Security and Medicare.

“Republicans are plowing ahead with their closed-door commission designed to cut Social Security and Medicare,” Nancy Altman, the president of Social Security Works, said in a statement. “Many of the Republicans tried to claim that was not their goal, but they tellingly voted down Democratic amendments to rule out cutting those programs and instead require billionaires to pay their fair share.”

“The vast majority of Democrats on the committee rightfully opposed the commission. Shame on the handful of exceptions,” Altman added. “They have stabbed the American people in the back, […]