Biden Moves to Shield Medicare and Social Security From Budget Showdown

Medicare and Social Security accounted for $2 trillion of the government’s $5.9 trillion in spending.

Medicare and Social Security

Federal law limits the amount of new debt the U.S. federal government can assume. The U.S. Treasury needs capacity to borrow to make bond payments and pay other federal government obligations.

Republicans in Congress have used the debt ceiling increase issue to try to force the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress to work with them to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Democrats have accused at least some Republicans of wanting to cut spending on Medicare and Social Security, along with spending on other programs.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday, in an address in Washington, D.C., that it’s time for Washington to change its behavior and cut the deficit, but that “cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table.”

About a year ago, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., proposed curbing federal spending by having all federal laws sunset every five years. Democrats have pointed to that as evidence that Republicans still want to attack Medicare and Social Security.

Scott has since repeatedly said that he does not want to cut those programs’ benefits.

Other Moments

Also during his speech, Biden called for Congress to:

• Cap insulin costs at $35 per month for all Americans, not just for those with Medicare coverage.
• Provide more support for caregivers.
• Renew funding for tracking and responding to COVID-19 variants and other infectious diseases.

The White House (Photo: Shutterstock)