Vivek Ramaswamy on Social Security and Medicaid: “I Don’t Like the Existence of Those Policies”
September 21, 2026
Columbus, Ohio- A newly unearthed clip revealed Vivek Ramaswamy said he didn’t “like the existence” of policies like Social Security and Medicaid, completely undermining their purpose of allowing Ohioans to retire with dignity. Ramaswamy previously called Medicaid and Medicare “mistakes” and said privatizing Social Security was a “reasonable conversation to have.”
Ramaswamy: I don’t believe it is a separation of powers issue for Congress to say that there’s a certain amount of money that gets paid out in Social Security or Medicaid payments or in welfare payments; I don’t like the existence of those policies. I would vote to significantly constrain and attach work requirements to most of the welfare state as we know it. But as much as I would love to end that by any means possible…
“Of course billionaire scam artist Vivek Ramaswamy, who thinks that rising costs are only in our imagination, doesn’t like the existence of lifesaving programs like Medicaid and Social Security,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “In the middle of an affordability crisis, the programs Ramaswamy wants to gut have never been more essential. Ohio’s working families can’t afford Vivek Ramaswamy.”
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