Leaked audio: Paxton says mandatory spending, including entitlements, must be cut
A fourth leaked clip from a private Sept. 24 fundraiser has Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton calling cuts to mandatory spending unavoidable.
What to know
- This is the fourth clip leaked from a single Sept. 24 private fundraiser, with leaks drip-fed to the NYT, Politico, Axios and now the Texas Tribune in the final days before early voting.
- Paxton did not specify which mandatory-spending programs he'd cut; roughly three-quarters of such spending goes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid per CBO data.
- The leak lands in Texas' most competitive Senate race in decades, where Talarico has consistently led in public polling despite a national GOP spending push for Paxton.
- Paxton's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on which benefits programs he would target.
The leak confirms Paxton is a threat to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and is politically finished because of it.
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“BREAKING: MAGA ogre Ken Paxton gets caught in ANOTHER leaked audio scandal as he's caught on mic calling for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Stick a fork in him folks, he's done…”
@OccupyDemocrats · X ↗
“Paxton '26: no healthcare for you, purloined Swiss pens for me!”
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Political blog · Lawyers, Guns & Money ↗ · Oct 7
Ken Paxton Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (Texas)
James Talarico Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate (Texas)Jeanne Haggerty Lobbyist present at the Sept. 24 fundraiser
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Democratic-aligned accounts amplify the leak as disqualifying
Accounts including OccupyDemocrats and factpostnews circulated the clip on X, framing it as evidence Paxton would gut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, gathering over a thousand likes within hours.
“BREAKING: MAGA ogre Ken Paxton gets caught in ANOTHER leaked audio scandal as he's caught on mic calling for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Stick a fork in him folks, he's done…”
— @OccupyDemocrats -
BREAKING: MAGA ogre Ken Paxton gets caught in ANOTHER leaked audio scandal as he’s caught on mic calling for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Stick a fork in him folks, he’s done… "There's no doubt we have to cut some of the mandatory spending," Paxton said on
2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
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Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton said he would protect Social Security, but that cuts to federal spending are necessary to reduce the budget deficit. https://www. houstonpublicmedia.org/article…
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‘He Thinks Working People Are a Joke’: Ken Paxton Floats Social Security Cuts in Leaked Audio https://www. byteseu.com/2437813/ # America # Politics # UnitedStates # UnitedStatesOfAmerica # US # USPolitics # USA # USAPolitics
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Commentary blogs tie the leak to Paxton's broader unpopularity
Political blogs folded the entitlement-cuts leak into a running list of Paxton controversies, including his securities-fraud indictment, impeachment and the long-running 'stolen pen' episode used in an anti-Paxton ad.
“Making some reasonable cuts to mandatory spending — you're gonna have to do it. Or there is no solution. That's just the reality. We have to suck it up.”
— Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee · source -
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Texas Tribune publishes fourth leaked clip on entitlement cuts
The Tribune's audio has Paxton saying 'There's no doubt we have to cut some of the mandatory spending' and pairing that with calls for tax cuts to spur economic growth; he did not specify which programs or by how much, and his campaign did not comment.
“There's no doubt we have to cut some of the mandatory spending…”
— Ken Paxton -
Leaked audio reveals Ken Paxton plans to cut Social Security and Medicare: "Making some reasonable cuts to mandatory spending — you're gonna have to do it."
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Latest leak catches Ken Paxton vowing to slash benefits — while chuckling over tax cuts # RawStory
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background
Earlier clips from the same fundraiser leak to national outlets — Portions of Paxton's remarks from the event were leaked in succession to The New York Times, Politico and Axios in the days before the Texas Tribune's clip, with the recording made by an attendee opposed to Paxton's Senate bid.
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Paxton tells DC lobbyists mandatory spending cuts are unavoidable — At a private fundraiser with Washington lobbyists, Paxton responded to a question about the federal deficit by saying mandatory spending, which is roughly three-quarters Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, would need 'reasonable cuts.'
What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 6 · verbatim
- Oct 10
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Leaked audio REVEALS Ken Paxton’s plans to cut key federal programs: “We... https:// youtube.com/shorts/LeGgFeoi08s ?is=2AI2m1K5sZL7WMs2