Donalds on Biden saying some Republicans want to ‘sunset’ Medicare, Social Security: ‘I am telling you, not true’

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) denied on Wednesday President Biden’s claims that Republicans are considering pushing for cuts to Social Security and Medicare as part of negotiations over raising the debt ceiling. 

Donalds responded to Biden’s State of the Union address in an interview on “CNN This Morning,” saying “I am telling you, not true” about the president’s accusation. 

“No Republican on the Hill has said, ‘Hey, for debt ceiling, we’re going to look at Social Security and Medicare.’ It is not true. I’m one of the most vocal members of our conference,” he said. “I am telling you, not true.”

Biden had an intense exchange with some Republicans during his Tuesday night speech after he said some members of the GOP want Social Security and Medicare to sunset every five years — meaning Congress would have to pass legislation to renew them. 

Some Republicans yelled backed at Biden, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouting “liar” and others yelling “no” or booing at him.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who shook his head as Biden spoke before shushing his conference, has said cuts to Social Security and Medicare as part of negotiations over raising the debt ceiling are “off the table.” 

Biden was referencing a plan that Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) proposed for all federal legislation to sunset after five years, saying Congress should pass a law again if it is worth keeping. 

Donalds said Biden created a “fallacy” that Republicans planned to cut Social Security and Medicare, saying that Scott’s plan is not regarding the debt ceiling. 

“The delineation is regarding the debt ceiling, no Republican has said ‘We’re going to look at Social Security and Medicare.’ No Republican. The president has tried to conflate the two to make a political argument,” Donalds said. “He is wrong.”

Biden improvised during the speech after the Republican “no” calls in saying, “So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare are off the books now, right? All right. We got unanimity.”