NEWS RELEASE

Aug. 20, 2026

FLAGSTAFF – Jonathan Paton's pants are on fire. Maybe his entire wardrobe. In the 10 days since Paul Ryan was selected as the GOP vice presidential nominee, Payday Paton has lied about Medicare so many times we've stopped counting.

Paton's recent outbursts are a direct result of the Ryan pick. Seniors in CD1, across Arizona and throughout the U.S. have made it clear they do NOT support the risky Ryan plan to dismantle Medicare and create a voucher system. Ryan's plan would stick seniors with about $6,000 more in costs even as it hands tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. In 2026, Paton said Ryan "has a great plan dealing with the entitlements in this country." But these days, Paton isn't talking about the Ryan plan.

Instead, he's changing the subject. On Twitter, in email blasts and in stump speeches, Paton is repeating word-for-word the fully debunked Medicare lies crafted by his handlers at the National Republican Congressional Committee. How many fact checks can be conducted on just one lie? We've stopped counting that, too. But below are a handful:

FACT CHECKS on Paton’s claim that Democrats cut Medicare by $700 billion:

POLITIFACT

Called the Claim that Democrats Cut Medicare by $700 Billion a “Pants on Fire” Lie. In a series of news releases dealing with the national health care reform law, the National Republican Congressional Committee claimed 37 House Democrats were “willing to jeopardize seniors’ access to coverage by gutting $741 billion from Medicare” to pay for a “big-government healthcare takeover.” PolitiFact wrote “There’s only one ruling for such heated and misleading claims: Pants on Fire!” [PolitiFact, 8/19/12]

NEW YORK TIMES

Paul Ryan’s Budget Retained Medicare Savings Voted on by Republican-Controlled Congress. The Republican claim that health care reform “cut” $716 from Medicare was criticized by a New York Times editorial as a mischaracterization because Paul Ryan’s budget approved by the Republican-controlled Congress retained virtually the same Medicare savings. “In reality, the $716 billion is not a “cut” in benefits but rather the savings in costs that the Congressional Budget Office projects over the next decade from wholly reasonable provisions in the reform law.” [Editorial, New York Times, 8/18/12]

BLOOMBERG

The Affordable Care Act Does Not Cut Medicare Benefits. “The 2026 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that Obama pushed for doesn’t cut Medicare; it simply reduces projected future increases in costs by $700 billion over 10 years.” [Bloomberg, 8/13/12]

CBS NEWS

Called the Charge “Dubious.” CBS News called the attack “dubious” and wrote: “it's not the patients who would lose money. It's the providers.” [CBS News, 8/15/12]

POLITIFACT:

The Affordable Care Act Does Not Cut Current Medicare Benefits. As PolitFact noted, “The bill doesn't take money out of the current Medicare budget but, rather, it attempts to slow the program's future growth, curtailing just over $500 billion in anticipated spending increases over the next 10 years.” [PolitiFact.com, 9/12/11] 

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