Story highlights Paul Waldman: Rule change adopted by new Republican Congress could end up cutting Social Security disability benefits

He says it's part of GOP's perennial attack on Social Security as unsustainable, but there are better ways to fix

(CNN) Social Security is often described as "the third rail of American politics" -- touch it and you'll get zapped.

So why do Republicans keep sidling up to it and sticking their fingers out?

Paul Waldman

There's a brewing controversy in Congress over a small part of the program, which is just the latest version of an old routine that goes like this: Republicans say Social Security is going broke, and they propose changes that would cut benefits or otherwise undermine the program. Democrats shout "Republicans are trying to cut Social Security!" Then the Republicans, scared of a backlash from older voters, back off.

And why do we keep going through this? Republicans will tell you it's because the program is in peril, and if we don't cut it back, it won't be there at all for future generations. Democrats will tell you it's because Republicans never liked the program in the first place, and would love to kill it.

That may be an exaggeration, but the fact is that Republicans hate big government, and government doesn't come any bigger than Social Security.

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