Biden calls out Republicans who heckled his State of the Union speech

President Joe Biden on Wednesday called out Republican lawmakers who booed when he accused them of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union address, pointing out that several of them have expressed support for those cuts.

“My Republican friends, they seemed shocked when I raised the plans of some of their members and their caucus to cut Social Security and Marjorie Taylor and others stood up and said, ‘Liar, liar,'” Biden said in remarks on the economy at an event in DeForest, Wis.

Biden then pointed to a plan floated by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., last year when he chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “I got his brochure right here,” said Biden, who held it up and read from it, “All federal legislation sunsets every five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.”

That would apply, the president said, to programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Biden also mentioned how Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has said that Congress should reconsider such programs every year. During Johnson’s competitive re-election race last year, he said at a campaign stop that Social Security “was set up improperly” and that it would have been better to invest the money in the stock market. Johnson also told a radio show that Social Security and Medicare should be axed as “mandatory” programs and be subject to “discretionary” spending, meaning Congress would have to renew them yearly or they’d end.

“There’s a senator named Mike Lee, who was also yelling, ‘Liar, liar, house on fire’ kind of stuff last night,” Biden said, alluding to a 2010 video that recently surfaced in which the Utah Republican said it was his objective to phase out Social Security.

“They sure didn’t like me calling them on it,” Biden said. “Look, a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me just say this. It’s your dream, but I’m gonna with my veto pen make it a nightmare.”

During his speech Tuesday night, Biden said that “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years.” As Republicans in the crowd began to loudly boo, he went off script and shot back: “As we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now.”

On Wednesday, Biden said the exchange effectively boxed Republicans into a deal. “It looks like we negotiated a deal last night on the floor of the House of Representatives,” Biden said.

“All of you have been paying into the system every single paycheck you’ve had since you started working,” the president said. “These benefits belong to you, the American worker. You earn it, and I will not allow anyone to cut them — not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”