Hovde calls for cutting budget to 2019 levels, raising Social Security age for those under 40

Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde on Tuesday called for sweeping cuts to the federal budget and suggested raising the eligibility age for Social Security for people under 40 years old.

Speaking at a luncheon co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Press Club and Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Hovde proposed pulling back federal spending to pre-pandemic levels as he claimed his opponent, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, was avoiding the press.

“This is what a campaign should be about, right here,” Hovde told the crowd. “Candidates standing up in front of you, in front of reporters, taking their questions, addressing the issues that matter to the people of this state. … Unfortunately, my campaign against Sen. Baldwin hasn’t been this way.”

He noted Baldwin has agreed to just one debate, scheduled for Oct. 18, and had yet to agree to participate in a similar event as Tuesday's with the Rotary Club.

Baldwin’s campaign, meanwhile, told the Journal Sentinel the Madison Democrat scheduled 10 open press events in 10 counties this week. Baldwin also took questions from reporters over the weekend. A spokesman said the campaign is “working on scheduling” an appearance with the Rotary Club.

Hovde’s comments came as he’s made up ground on Baldwin in recent weeks. While statewide surveys have consistently shown Baldwin leading Hovde, a recent internal poll from the Madison Democrat’s campaign showed her with just a 2-point edge. A deluge of Republican spending in Wisconsin in the final weeks of the race has also raised alarms for Democrats.

The Cook Political Report, an election handicapper, shifted the race this week from “lean Democrat” to a “toss-up.”

On Tuesday, Hovde weighed in on a range of topics, from his major campaign issues like the national debt and immigration to climate change, in vitro fertilization and accepting the results of the November election.

Hovde cited government spending as rising 40% since before the pandemic and said he would like to “pull those levels right back again” to 2019 levels, before the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the economy.

He did not detail where he would like to see those cuts, including whether they would include defense spending, rather saying the U.S. has to create “pro-growth policies,” citing deregulation efforts and welfare reform. In a local radio interview last week, Hovde said he'd like to "pull all government programs" back to 2019 levels.

Hovde rejected Democratic claims that he would seek to cut Social Security benefits. He said he does not “want to take older people’s Social Security away,” but he did propose raising the age to receive benefits for people under the age of 40.

“Because the reality of it is life expectancy is going to increase significantly,” he said.

Wisconsin Democrats on Tuesday said Hovde’s proposal to scale back government spending to 2019 levels would “mean huge cuts to Medicare, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and Medicaid, which helps pay for nursing home care for Wisconsin seniors.”

“The Hovde Plan is clear: Hovde wants to cut benefits for seniors, roll back benefits for our veterans, and let insurance companies jack up drug prices on working Wisconsinites,” Democrats wrote in a statement after the luncheon.

Asked about former President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations of illegal immigrants, Hovde did not explicitly comment on the idea but said: “You start with anybody who has been convicted of a criminal act, either in this country or in their former country, and you move down from there.”

He reiterated his support for in vitro fertilization, suggesting he and his wife “tried it,” but he declined to endorse comments from Trump suggesting that the government or insurance companies should pay for the service.

On climate change, Hovde said he thinks “man is influencing climate” and said he believes in “good, clean energy propositions that are economical,” noting he changed his past position opposing solar energy, as the Journal Sentinel documented earlier this year. But he pushed back on electric vehicle initiatives.

He also doubled down on debunked claims that FEMA is lacking money to respond to natural disasters due to spending to “assist illegal immigrants.”

Asked if he would vote to certify the results of the election in November, Hovde responded: “We have to stop every time one side loses an election saying the election was stolen.”

He attacked Democrats who raised questions about past elections and acknowledged Trump has disputed the 2020 results.

Still, he cast doubts on the security of ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin, saying: “I don't think that was a very constructive thing because all it does is tell 50% of Americans, ‘Oh, they're going to try to do something.’”

“If I lose, I lose. OK?” Hovde said when asked about accepting election results. “Now, if somebody said hey, here's mass fraud, then of course I'm going to respond. So I'm not going to make a blanket statement because if some evidence is overwhelming …”

Throughout the luncheon, Hovde repeatedly said the country needs to “lower the rhetoric” when it comes to politics.

He said he could see himself working across the aisle in the Senate with Democratic senators like Mark Warner of Virginia and John Hickenlooper of Colorado.

“I'm going to go sit down with Bernie Sanders because there are areas that we may agree on,” he added.

Still, Hovde accused Baldwin of avoiding the press and later told reporters he thinks Baldwin has “no record to run on.”

"I don't think she can stand up and answer the tough questions, but you'd have to ask her,” he said.

Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report. 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Hovde calls for cutting federal budget to 2019 levels