Ron’s support for privatizing social security opened up his rivals

Making America Beautiful: An Effort to Help Families Get by After World War II: The Impact of the H1N1 Epidemic

We have made tremendous progress over the past two years. My administration, working with Democrats in Congress, is building an economy that grows from the bottom up and middle out.

The unemployment rate is 3.5% – a 50-year low. Almost one million manufacturing jobs have been created. On my watch, “Made in America” isn’t just a slogan, it’s a reality.

We have more work to do. Inflation is driven by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. I know a lot of people have a job and are still struggling to pay for groceries, gas and rent. That’s why I’m so determined to lower costs for families.

We need to make it easier, not tougher, for hard-working Americans to get by. I took action because I wanted to ease the burden on families recovering from the Pandemic. I’ll never apologize for helping working class Americans recover from the H1N1 epidemic, even if Republicans criticize the move. Especially not to the same Republicans officials who voted for a $2 trillion tax giveaway that mainly benefitted wealthy Americans and the biggest corporations.

Gas prices are decreasing because of actions we have taken. They’re down $1.20 since their peak this summer and just this week they fell another 10 cents. That adds up to a lot of savings for families.

Republicans in Congress are doubling down on mega, MAGA trickle-down economics that benefit the wealthy and big corporations. They’ve laid their plan out very clearly. It would raise your costs and make inflation worse.

My administration finally gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. Senior citizens will not be responsible for out-of-pocket drug costs of $2,000 a year and seniors will not be responsible for the monthly cost of Diabetes Prevention Program. Big pharma and many lobbyists spent hundreds of millions of dollars to stop health care savings for Americans. They failed.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/25/opinions/american-people-face-a-choice-joe-biden/index.html

Why does Congress Care? Why do we care about our kids? Why we’re going to have to give up on taxes, but we don’t want to lose

Democrats are making sure the biggest corporations begin to pay their fair share in taxes. 55 of the wealthiest corporations in America paid no federal income tax in 2020. No longer. A minimum tax of 15% was signed into law by me. And, I’m keeping my campaign commitment: no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a single penny more in federal taxes.

Vice President Joe Biden said in his speech that Republicans had a plan to cut Social Security and Medicare.

The fact is, this is not your father’s Republican party: Many Republicans in Congress want to pass a national ban on abortion. I would veto it right away, and if we elect more Senate Democrats and keep the House, I’ll move to codify Roe v. Wade in January.

The test of democracy is being put to the test in America. Everyone knows that democracy isn’t guaranteed, but they are still learning about it. You have to defend it. Protect it. Choose it.

The American people are going to vote in record numbers again, and we are going to make clear that democracy is both a value and a source of pride for us all.

We did not relent despite facing the most difficult challenges in our history in the last few years. I have never felt more confident in our future. In 14 days, the American people will decide whether we keep moving forward or go backwards.

Speakership negotiations for the debt ceiling-negotiations-republicans (Reply to McCarthy, Mace, and Frozen)

Twenty House Republicans who initially voted against McCarthy are hoping to influence the debate after making the debt ceiling a central part of their speakership negotiations. McCarthy indicated he wouldn’t accept a debt ceiling increase without reforms or a budget agreement, according to a slide presentation obtained by CNN.

It could take the nation to the precipice of a potentially cataclysmic default, even if some of the positions against raising the limit seem intractable.

Further complicating matters Some Republicans like Mike Pence, as well as the congressmen of Tennessee and Arizona, have made clear they are not going to raise the debt ceiling.

“I don’t think (Biden) would ever want to be irresponsible and childish, and not sit and negotiate, especially when you think about the ramifications to the economics of our country,” McCarthy told reporters on Monday. “So we’ve got a timeline here, let’s sit down, let’s not play political games. We know we have certain jobs, and we can find ways to save for the Americans.

Other people are considering contingency plans as well. The Problem Solvers Caucus of the House is working on a plan that tries to set a ratio for US debt compared to the country’s GDP in order to develop a plan for budget cuts if that level is broken. The proposal is being helped by outside budget experts.

“You are always going to have a handful that will vote ‘no’ on everything. So expect those people to exist,” said Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican. “That’s why it’s important to negotiate. We are a divided Congress, and we got to act that way.”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/debt-limit-negotiations-republicans/index.html

A Democratic Freedom Caucus Leader: Negotiating the Budget for Social Security, Medicare and Other Non-Discretary Programs with the FPI

The nonpartisan Fiscal Policy Institute says that the Social Security program takes up 21% of the $5.8 trillion the federal government spent in the last fiscal year. The budget goes to a number of discretionary domestic programs, including defense and national security.

The conservative crew met Friday morning and Monday to discuss ideas for reducing spending that could result in a balanced budget in 10 years, and plan to have a plan in the coming weeks, according to a member involved in the talks.

Ringleaders of the group like Rep. Chip Roy of Texas have been in regular communication with McCarthy, and the group wants to meet with GOP leaders and House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington of Texas as discussions intensify.

According to the member of the House Freedom Caucus, what they will be fighting for is a template. Social Security, Medicare and all other agencies are being looked at on discretionary. We’re going to put it out for the American people. And it will shock people. … I think people will like what they see.”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/debt-limit-negotiations-republicans/index.html

A Moot Point in the Senate Budget Debate: How Do House Appropriations Reform could Help Address the Problem of the Budget Control Problem?

“It’s sort of a moot point,” Massie told reporters. “What could you do here that the Senate would pass and the president would sign? Why would you start a conversation and allow people to distort what you are trying to do?

Yet with GOP defense hawks and appropriators vowing to protect defense spending, that limits the pool of money on the discretionary side of the budget where they can cut from.

While McCarthy is trying to build conference-wide consensus on what they will propose in exchange for raising the nation’s borrowing limit, some appropriators acknowledged they may wind up on the sidelines of the debate.

Chuck Fleischmann, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, told CNN that he will be either the beneficiary or the victim when it comes to the spending number that his subcommittee gets. I will be directly affected.

“I think most everyone is in the camp of ‘can’t default.’ The full faith and credit of the country is important according to a member of the House Budget Committee. “But just to say we’re going to raise the debt ceiling without any spending restraint is just not an acceptable outcome.”

In his quest to become speaker, McCarthy promised to put a bill on the floor before the end of March that would direct the Treasury Department over which payments to prioritize if the debt ceiling is breached – essentially an emergency contingency plan.

Massie said one idea he has been advocating for is passing a continuing resolution “as soon as possible” that funds the government at 99% of its current levels and pairs it with a debt ceiling increase, just so they have a backup plan in case they are unable to come to an agreement on the debt ceiling or funding the government.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican involved in that effort, said that their plan would be a fallback in case talks between the White House and McCarthy collapse.

The White House has worked closely with congressional Democrats in order to push Republicans to make a proposal of their own, even though they have kept a united front against any negotiations.

Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night: Politics of the fight for a resolution of the congressional debt ceiling crisis

McCarthy appeared on CBS. The Californian said he wanted to find a reasonable and responsible way to lift the debt ceiling, but take control of the runaway spending.

McCarthy’s pledge, which is backed by former President Donald Trump, provides a window into the complex political dynamics House Republicans confront as they press for negotiations while still working to coalesce around a proposal to put on the table.

White House officials have closely monitored – and wasted no time responding – to House Republican preferences they see as both non-starters on the policy front and politically advantageous.

More broadly, there remain significant questions about whether House Republicans can find the necessary 218 votes for anything given the strident opposition held by some in the conference about raising the debt ceiling at all.

Still, the focus on Medicare and Social Security even as McCarthy has moved to take changes off the table underscores the view inside the White House of the political salience of the programs.

White House officials point to the framing of “strengthening” the programs as a euphemism for structural changes they oppose. Absent a clear House Republican proposal, that has become a central line of attack in a debate that is still in its early stages – with potentially dramatic consequences ahead.

President Joe Biden brought his State of the Union populist economic messaging to Wisconsin on Wednesday, firing back at Republicans and highlighting US manufacturing in a preview of an expected 2024 argument in the battleground state.

Biden said that he would continue the fight as he hit the road, which caused one of the most unforgettable moments in Tuesday’s speech. Biden tried to shift his message away from the talking points of the election, like the extremeMAGA and mega-MAGA.

Republicans repeatedly heckled Biden during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, ignoring the occasional shushes from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Republicans in the House chamber yelled at Biden during the address for his approach to immigration, Medicare spending and the debt ceiling.

Lee claimed in a statement that his 12 years as a senator have been mostly spent working to improve the programs and reduce their benefits, but he has supported benefit cuts in the past. For example, he has endorsed various proposals over the years to raise the Social Security retirement age.

During his 2012 congressional campaign, Biden addressed the MAGA Republicans’ in a Washington interview with PBS Newshour’s Judy Woodruff

Shortly after Biden’s remarks near Madison, PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff asked him if he was expecting the kind of reaction he got in the House chamber.

“From the folks that did it, I was,” Biden said. “The vast of majority of Republicans weren’t that way, but you know, there’s still a significant element of what I call the ‘MAGA Republicans.’”

As for last night’s “conversion” of some Republicans, he offered skepticism during his speech: “I sure hope that’s true. When their budget is laid down with the cuts they propose, I will believe it. But looks like we negotiated a deal last night on the floor of the House of Representatives.”

Earlier in the speech, Biden attempted to make a broader argument for working together with GOP lawmakers, touting the successes of his first two years in office.

“People sent us a clear message: Fighting for the sake of fighting gets us nowhere. We’re getting things done,” he said, before going on to draw clear arguments against his Republican colleagues.

He warned against the chaos as he referred to Republicans as suggesting, again, to raise the nation’s debt limit.

The commentator on TV said Biden’s focus on junk fees was irrelevant to the wealthy people, but it was important to the people he grew up with in his home state of Delaware. They increase the cost of living by hundreds of dollars a month to make it tougher to pay your bills. I know how unfair it feels when a company overcharges you and think they can get away with it.”

A CNN KFile review of his 2012 congressional campaign comments showed that he supports plans to replace Medicare with a system in which the government paid for partial costs of private plans. In one interview with a local newspaper, DeSantis said he supported “the same thing” for Social Security, citing the need for “market forces” to restructure the program.

When Ryan was chosen as a running mate for Romney in the 2012 election, it became a political football because of his embrace of the Ryan budget. Democrats argued that Ryan had turned Medicare into avoucher system, while Republicans said it was the same as premium support. The government would partially pay for private plans or traditional Medicare plans to subsidize seniors.

I think there should be more consumer choice and market forces in there to make it not just basically a system that is going to be bankrupt.

The Club for Growth and the Eagle Forum supported DeSantis in his attempt to become a Tea Party fiscal conservative.

DeSantis has yet to announce he if he running for president in 2024, nor has he spoken publicly about his position on the entitlement programs as the governor or Florida, preferring to focus on culture war issues.

In the State of the Union address on Tuesday and in speeches on Wednesday and Thursday, the president referred to a part of Scott’s plan that says all federal legislation sunsets in 5 years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.” Biden correctly asserted that “all federal legislation” would include Social Security and Medicare, which do not currently require congressional re-approval.

He said that he believes low income people will be given the same coverage as they have now. I think people like me who have been successful will not have to pay more. I will have premium support that’s going to guarantee me a certain amount of coverage.”

“If you want something over and above that, if you want a Cadillac plan or something, then I do think it should be driven by the consumer rather than imposed on the taxpayers,” he added. I think that makes sense.

I think it is important for us to restructure the Social Security program to be financially sustainable, especially for people in my generation.

On CNN on January 4, 2015, when he was just elected, he said he wanted Congress to restructure entitlements when asked about Social Security and Medicare.

The retirement and health care programs have been targeted by specific Republican senators, such as Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.

The authenticity of the videos is questionable since Biden didn’t tell the audience in Wisconsin that they were from 12 years ago, when Lee was running for the Senate. And as Lee noted in Wednesday tweets responding to Biden, Biden didn’t mention that Lee added at the same 2010 event that current Medicare beneficiaries should have their benefits “left untouched” and that “the next layer beneath them, those who will retire in the next few years, also probably have to be held harmless.”

Scott accused Biden of being dishonest and confused. Scott argued on Twitter on Wednesday that while his plan does say that “all” federal legislation should sunset in five years and become subject to a new vote by Congress, “This is clearly & obviously an idea aimed at dealing with ALL the crazy new laws our Congress has been passing of late.”

There is a possibility that Biden has created an inaccurate impression by mentioning the sunset proposal during the State of theUnion in which he discussed the battle over the debt ceiling. There is no indication that House Republicans are pushing this proposal as a part of the current debt ceiling negotiations with the Biden administration, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has made it clear that cuts to Social Security and Medicare aren’t on the table.

Scott kept making a false claim that the president had cut billions from Medicare in his last year in office. The inflation reduction act allowed the government and elderly to spend less on prescription drugs in exchange for a greater amount of Medicare benefits for seniors. The claim of a Medicare cut was repeatedly debunked last year, when Scott and a Republican campaign organization he chaired used it during the midterm elections.

Biden has accurately cited Johnson’s remarks this week. It was Johnson who stated that we have to turn everything into discretionary spending so we can fix problems, or programs that are broken, which are going to be bankrupt. Because, again, as long as things are on automatic pilot, we just continue to pile up debt.” When Johnson was criticized for his remarks at the time, he stood by them and said he had a long-standing position.

It’s impossible to definitively fact-check this particular dispute without Johnson specifying how he wants to “fix” and “save” the program. His office did not respond to a CNN request for comment.

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates noted in an email to reporters on Thursday that, though Johnson accused Biden this week of lying about his stance on Social Security, Johnson also said in interviews this week that Social Security is a “legal Ponzi scheme” and that “Social Security might be in a more stable position for younger workers” if the government had proceeded with Republican President George W. Bush’s controversial and eventually abandoned proposal in the mid-2000s to allow workers born after 1949 to divert a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into private accounts in which they could buy into the stock market and make other investments.