Entitlements draw sharp contrasts between Grothman, Harris

Sixth Congressional District candidates Glenn Grothman and Mark Harris have little common ground when it comes to the future of entitlement programs millions of Americans rely on for food, medical care and living expenses.

Harris, a Democrat, and Grothman, a Republican, are seeking to succeed Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, in representing a district that stretches from Adams County east to Lake Michigan and from Neenah south to Watertown.

About the only things Grothman and Harris have agreed on are that entitlement programs are a central focus of their respective campaigns and that they would both oppose means testing for Social Security eligibility.

Harris, who is county executive in Winnebago County, said entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) help Americans when they need it most. He said he wants to see those programs properly funded to ensure future generations have them in times of need.

"My impression is most people don't rely on these for a long time and no one aspires to be poor," Harris said. "In the free market economy, people fall through the cracks; the social safety net is there to help prevent crisis. … Most Americans feel they earned that benefit through payroll taxes. We need to make sure we're following policies that make these benefits safe and reliable for the next generation."

Glenn Grothman, a state senator from Campbellsport, said his work as a legislator, interactions with community groups and his views on the federal budget influence his philosophy toward entitlement programs.

Grothman declined requests for an interview and instead asked to have questions submitted in writing.

On Social Security, Grothman wrote that he is "open to the idea of a small increase in the retirement age for future retirees."

Grothman said taxes should not be raised on anyone and he would not increase Social Security payroll taxes.

Harris said the program will only be able to pay 70 percent of its promised benefits in the future unless it receives new revenue or the $2.7 trillion the federal government borrowed from the Social Security trust is repaid. He said Grothman's refusal to consider additional tax revenue "ties his hands when it comes to meaningful changes."

Harris said Congress should raise the maximum wage subject to Social Security taxes — currently $117,000 — to capture more revenue, and also add a small tax of not more than half a percent to wages in excess of the base.

"That would be enough to keep the system healthy," Harris said.

Harris touted Medicare and Medicaid's ability to operate more efficiently than private insurance, but said he wants to look for ways to better use tools to control the programs' costs. He said he has no specific proposal to do that right now.

"Medicare and Medicaid are important programs for avoiding poverty for senior citizens. They're institutions worth keeping, but we have to look for ways to control health-care costs," Harris said.

Grothman wrote: Medicaid needs to become "less bureaucratic and more market-based so that individuals and families who need access to quality healthcare can get it."

Grothman wrote nothing in regard to Medicare.

On nutrition assistance programs, Grothman said he wants to ban the purchase of junk food with SNAP funds because "government eventually pays the price for health problems associated with eating and drinking these unhealthy foods.

"Most voters I speak to about this agree with me," Grothman said.

He did not say whether he favored cuts to SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs, but he expressed his concern that the number of Americans using food stamps has tripled over the last 13 years.

"The growth in federal welfare programs is unsustainable and is driving down the work ethic of Americans," Grothman wrote.

Harris said Grothman's campaign rhetoric suggests he would cut programs vital to families, low-wage workers and seniors. Harris said he would support removing junk food from eligible SNAP items and add toiletries and other personal care products.

"Most people receiving food share work, but don't earn enough to make ends meet," Harris said. "Or they're low-wage workers. Or widowed seniors. … I'd take away junk food, but add basic care items."

Jeff Bollier: (920) 426-6688 or jbollier@thenorthwestern.com.

Election 2014

This is the first of four issues-based pieces on the candidates seeking to represent Wisconsin's Sixth Congressional District. The candidates include Democrat Mark Harris and Republican Glenn Grothman. Profiles of the candidates ran last week in The Reporter and are available at fdlreporter.com. The remaining three issues pieces will be published later this week and next week.