On Wednesday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) responded to a question on people who are concerned about socialism gaining popularity by saying that “too often, we just throw around these phrases without thinking about what it really means.”
During a segment reading viewer questions, host Blake Burman asked, “This comes to us about maybe some concerns within parts of the Democratic Party, with the trend towards socialism among today’s youth, how do we restore a culture of personal responsibility, hard work, and accountability in America, rather than continued dependence on government programs and political division?”
Pingree answered, “Well, I’m currently working with a federal administration that’s going in the opposite direction. So I think government programs are actually being harmed by this administration, particularly when it comes to things like Medicaid. We don’t have universal access to healthcare, and many people in my state, including seniors and children, are highly dependent on Medicaid. This government — this administration has just cut a trillion dollars out of that. That will be implemented in –.”
Burman then cut in to ask, “But what about the embrace of socialism, like, and folks who are worried about that?”
Pingree responded, “I think, too often, we just throw around these phrases without thinking about what it really means. If you say to people, do you want universal access to healthcare? Most of them will say, yeah, if I could get single-payer healthcare, I’d much prefer it over my insurance company. But it gets labeled as socialism, and so people go the other way. Public education is a form of a kind of socialism where we’re all in this together. So, I think you have to have a balance. And that’s our role in government is to make sure we keep that balance.”
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