Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) denied President Joe Biden’s claim that Republicans are considering cuts to Social Security and Medicare, calling it "empty scaremongering" on Tuesday following the State of the Union address.
Biden said that “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset,” an apparent jab at Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who unveiled an 11-point agenda last year that would phase out all federal laws after five years unless Congress votes to extend them.
Democrats leveraged that proposal in the last election cycle to argue that Republicans wanted to scrap Medicare and Social Security, even though the sunset language does not specifically name the programs.
The Florida senator’s plan, which he is promoting again in his 2024 reelection bid, does not have wide support within the Republican conference.
“I’m not saying it’s a majority of you. I’m politely not naming them, but it’s being proposed by some of you,” Biden said to jeers and boos from Republicans.
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Social Security and Medicare are two of the federal government's most popular and expensive programs and have long been a source of debate during discussions about federal spending and the national debt. Cruz called Biden’s allegations “dishonest.”
“It’s not new for Democrats to suggest that Republicans want to throw granny off a cliff. He knows he’s lying. He knows it’s dishonest,” Cruz said to reporters after Tuesday's speech.
Biden had a heated exchange with some House Republicans after making the comments. Some lawmakers yelled back at him, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) shouting, “Liar!”
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“The chamber cracked up laughing because it is so thoroughly dishonest, that it is just partisan posture,” the senator from Texas said. “What I can tell you is that I’m committed, and every Republican I know is committed, to protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has said cuts to the programs are “off the table” during the debt ceiling negotiations.