Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene asked Democrats whether Medicare for All would mean higher taxes after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the party should start by lowering the Medicare age to 55.

Sanders Calls for Medicare Age 55, Kids Coverage

In a post on X Monday, Sanders said the new Democrats-controlled Congress must take an "immediate first step" toward Medicare for All by lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 55, cover all children, and expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing.

He said Democrats could pass it in the Senate with 51 votes through reconciliation.

Greene Presses Democrats on Taxes and Debt

Greene responded to Sanders questioning about how Democrats would pay for Medicare for All.

She said the country is more than $40 trillion in debt, interest costs are growing past $1 trillion a year, and Social Security and Medicare will be insolvent by 2032.

Treasury data showed the national debt passed $40 trillion in August, and a live tracker based on Treasury figures currently puts it at about $40.5 trillion, or 127% of GDP.

Raising taxes on an already highly taxed public would be "extremely unpopular," she said, adding that she already supports defunding foreign wars, Israel and all foreign aid, but that cutting them is not enough to fund Medicare for All.

"Is the plan to raise taxes?" Greene asked. "Legitimate question for all."

Sanders told MS NOW last week that Democrats should pass Medicare for All whether or not President Donald Trump would sign it, and that a veto would put the responsibility on Republicans.

Affordability Has Been Democrats' Theme

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has pledged to prioritize affordability, and voters ranked the economy as their top issue in the midterms, with many worried about the cost of everything from gas to groceries to utilities.

Consumer prices rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The October report, due Tuesday, is expected to show headline and core inflation easing month to month but staying above the Fed's 2% target from a year earlier.