the republican senator rick scott Florida finally acknowledged this week what leading figures in his party have been telling him for a year: Most Republicans, including Donald Trump, no longer want to discuss cuts in the Social Security nor in Medicare as a way to balance the federal budget and reduce the debt of the United States, which would be included in the negotiations of Congress and the White House to raise the debt ceiling.
Senator Rick Scott announced Friday that he amended his 12-point “Rescue America” plan to say that his proposal to repeal all federal legislation every five years does not apply to Social Security, Medicare or the US Navy.
After receiving incessant criticism from President Joe Biden, Democrats and even his fellow Republicans, Scott modified Item Six of his plan, to make “specific exceptions for Social Security, Medicare, national security, veteran’s benefits, and other essential services” from his proposal to end all federal programs every five years and submit them for congressional review.
Scott wrote in an opinion essay in The Washington Examiner on Friday that he was modifying the proposal: “That bulletin board for my Rescue America plan was obviously not intended to include entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security, programs that working people have paid over his lifetime, or funds dedicated to our national security,” Scott wrote.
Biden angered Republicans in his State of the Union address last week, when cited Scott’s plan as evidence the GOP would target Social Security in his bid to cut spending in exchange for agreeing to raise the federal debt limit this year.
Biden zeroed in on Scott’s plan in his State of the Union address when he claimed that “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to end every five years,” drawing boos and jeers from Republican lawmakers in the House. Representatives.
Scott doubled down on his proposal to end all federal programs, insisting on making a statement, the day after Biden’s speech: “This is clearly and obviously an idea meant to deal with all the crazy new laws our Congress has been approving lately.”
Senator Mitch McConnell denied the following Tuesday that Senate Republicans would support cuts to Medicare and Social Security. as part of the negotiations to increase the debt limit, or on another matter.
“It keeps coming up. The president was talking about it at the State of the Union,” he told reporters. “Let me say it one more time: There is no agenda from Senate Republicans to revise Medicare or Social Security. Spot.”
Biden last week in Florida continued to hit Scott, telling his supporters: “The very idea of the Florida senator wanting to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every five years strikes me as outrageous.”
The White House and Senate Democrats insisted Friday that Scott’s statement does not close the door on the possibility that Republicans will continue to push for cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
The White House saw Scott’s change in his manifesto as an admission that Biden was right when he accused Florida Republicans and others of attacking Social Securitysaid White House spokesman Andrew Bates.
It may interest you:
– Debt ceiling: the US may run out of cash to pay its bills between July and September
– White House says Republican agenda would add $3 trillion to national debt
– Republicans want to cut Social Security and raise the cost of health insurance if they win Congress
Source: La Opinion
