1/
Russ is correct.
Any reform of social security and medicare is going to be very unpopular and will have Dems oppose it at every turn. The GOP will have to spend all it's political capital trying to pass reforms that may not pass. They might end up with nothing.
But...

2/
What Russ has suggested is an approach where we cut all funding to things people hate (woke programs, Diversity bureaucrats, DEI initiatives, woke "sensitivity" training, etc). This allows us to get real results while INCREASING our political capital rather than spending it...

3/
This is the new-right theory of governance at work:
Attack unpopular "woke" nonsense, remove woke ideology from government, use government against wokeness where it is constitutionally permitted, and then govern competently with respect to all other responsibilities....

4/
This is what all of the best up and coming GOP governors (IE: Glen Youngkin and Ron Desantis) are doing, at it is becoming increasingly clear that this is the path forward.
If you pick POPULAR fights against leftist cultural excess, and then run the government competently...

5/
The voters give you MORE leeway to do what you want and you get more done.
IF you want to reform Social Security and medicare you need voters to trust you. You get that by governing competently and attacking things voters don't like (IE wokeness).
Russ is correct.