Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee's own words about Social Security and Medicare were used against him after he acted offended during this week's State of the Union address when President Joe Biden accused Republicans of wanting to gut the programs, which millions of older and low-income Americans rely on.
Lee had earlier insisted he was not aware of any Republicans who've advocated for Social Security reforms to be tied to raising the debt ceiling and was reportedly incensed after Biden directly quoted a 2010 video in which Lee said it will "be [his] objective to phase out Social Security.”
Lee was forced to defend his statements, which he said at the time were meant to reflect how Congress should not have “sweeping power over people’s livelihoods."
He also accused Biden of having "conveniently left out that critical detail—that even when I voiced that position, I insisted that we honor the reliance interests of those who have paid into the system."
You can hear Lee's prior remarks in the video below.
Lee has been heavily criticized since his remarks resurfaced.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates called Lee's prior statements "an admission that he did indeed call for eliminating Social Security outright."
He added that by "protesting too much, Congressional Republicans keep proving the President’s point about their long history of threatening Medicare and Social Security."
Bates also cited reports from different news outlets about Republicans' plans for the two programs, including a recent Washington Post article about the GOP-controlled House eyeing cuts amid battles over larger government spending.
Biden had been openly jeered at by Republicans during his address, most noticeably when he stressed the GOP wants to gut Social Security and Medicare and will travel to Florida to further highlight the contrast between Democrats and Republicans on the programs.
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