@RonJohnsonWI Backs Scott In His Feud With McConnell Over Social Security Cuts https://talkingpoin [View all]

@RonJohnsonWI
Backs Scott In His Feud With McConnell Over Social Security Cuts

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ronjohn-backs-scott-in-his-feud-with-mcconnell-over-social-security-cuts
via @TPM

Link to tweet

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By Emine Yücel
|
February 14, 2023 12:24 p.m.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) have been sparring publicly over whether Republicans support cuts to Social Security and Medicare – and now Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and other hardline conservatives are getting involved in the fight.

Last week — just days after President Biden called out some Republicans for plans to sunset Social Security and Medicare in his State of the Union speech — McConnell renewed his staunch criticism for Scott’s “Rescue America” plan, which states that “all federal legislation sunsets in 5 years,” with no exceptions for Social Security and Medicare. McConnell has criticized Scott for the plan before, maintaining many Republicans’ claims that the party doesn’t support gutting the programs, despite the fact that pushing cuts has been a key policy ambition for the Republican Party for decades.

While Republicans like McConnell want to signal to Americans loudly and clearly that the party doesn’t back such efforts ever since Biden called them out during the SOTU, Scott and his sunsetting agenda are making their position harder to spin. And the messaging is made muddier by Scott’s befuddling claims that his 12-point-plan won’t actually harm Social Security or Medicare.

But RonJohn thinks we should trust him.

​​“The leader ought to be supportive of our incumbents,” Johnson said, according to Punchbowl News. “Sen. Scott’s done a good job in Florida. I think Floridians appreciate the fact that he’s forthright and honest with them. And I know from my personal involvement with Sen. Scott, his only interest is in saving those programs.”..............................