


Republicans repeated assertions that they would not touch Social Security or Medicare in negotiations to resolve the debt ceiling, despite President Joe Biden's claims some GOP members were targeting the programs.
Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Ryan Zinke (R-MT) both vowed that the social programs were off the table while speaking on CNN This Morning Wednesday.
THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED: INSIDE JOE BIDEN'S WILD STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
"No Republican on the Hill said we're going to look at Social Security and Medicare. I'm telling you, not true."@RepDonaldsPress says Medicare, Social Security cuts are off the table in debt ceiling negotiations pic.twitter.com/OvDluI06zf
— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) February 8, 2023
"No Republican on the Hill has said, 'Hey, for debt ceiling, we're going to look at Social Security and Medicare.' It is not true. I'm one of the most vocal members of our conference. I am telling you, not true," Donalds said.
Zinke vowed that "everything should be reviewed" when evaluating the budget and debt ceiling but that Social Security is "off the table."
"We need to protect Social Security. We have Medicare challenges. We also have this huge looming fiscally irresponsible budget that has been erected, and we continue to live under," Zinke said.
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Biden had claimed "some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years" during his State of the Union address Tuesday, leading to uproar from the GOP conference and some members, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling him a "liar."
Last year, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed an 11-point agenda that proposed sunsetting all federal laws after five years unless Congress voted to extend them. While not mentioning Social Security or Medicare directly, Democrats pounced on the plan and claimed the GOP was targeting the social programs. The proposed agenda was not endorsed by the Republican Party or GOP congressional leadership.