Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has carved out exceptions for Medicare and Social Security in a controversial 12-point policy agenda that calls for all federal legislation to sunset unless renewed every five years.
The sunset proposal had become a perennial headache for Republicans, with Democrats claiming the plan is proof the GOP would cut the popular social programs if given the chance. President Joe Biden has sought to make Scott the “poster child” of that allegation, even bringing it up at his State of the Union address earlier this month.
Point Six of Scott’s proposal now includes exceptions for “Social Security, Medicare, national security, veterans benefits, and other essential services.”
INCONVENIENT TRUTHS FOR JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRATS, AND THE WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT
The senator defended his plan in a Washington Examiner op-ed published Friday morning, arguing he never “intended to include entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security” in his section on government reform.
“I have never supported cutting Social Security or Medicare, ever. To say otherwise is a disingenuous Democrat lie from a very confused president,” Scott wrote.
He took aim at Mitch McConnell (R-KY), saying the Senate minority leader is “well aware” of where he stands on the entitlement programs. McConnell, who has feuded with Scott over the plan since he released it last year, told a Kentucky radio station earlier this month that the proposal was a “bad idea” that could imperil Scott’s reelection prospects in Florida, home to a large population of seniors.
“Everyone outside of Washington perfectly understood what my plan was trying to accomplish, but that hasn’t stopped Washington politicians from doing what they do best — lying to you every chance they get,” Scott said in the op-ed.
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The senator’s plan has been a lightning rod since he released it ahead of the midterm elections, also drawing criticism for language calling for every American to pay some income taxes, framed by Democrats as a tax increase on the poor. Scott, facing criticism from his party, amended that provision last year to say that “able-bodied Americans under 60, who do not have young children or incapacitated dependents, should work.”
