Marjorie Taylor Greene shouts ‘Liar’ at Joe Biden during State of the Union

WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted “liar” as Republicans erupted against President Joe Biden Tuesday night when he said they wanted to cut popular retirement benefits.

“Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to be phased out every five years,” Biden said during his State of the Union address, referring to a proposal from the Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

Republicans shouted “no” loudly from the right side of the House chamber.

For months, Democrats in Congress and the White House have pilloried Republicans for their suggestions that they seek to modify popular retirement benefits to improve the programs’ long-term actuarial balance.

“These benefits belong to the American people. They earned them,” Biden said in his speech. “If someone tries to cut Social Security, I’ll stop them. And if someone tries to cut Medicare, I’ll stop them.

The Scott proposal has never been popular among Republicans, but several House lawmakers have indeed suggested in recent months that Congress should tackle the growth in “rights” spending.

In recent weeks, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has started saying Republicans ‘won’t touch’ Social Security or Medicare as part of their next proposals. budgets. He also said the programs should be “off the table” in negotiations with the president.

Since taking control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans have pledged to cut federal spending and not support a needed increase in the federal government’s borrowing limit unless Democrats reach a spending deal.

Without an increase in the borrowing limit, the government could fail to pay its bondholders and even the beneficiaries of federal programs, potentially triggering a financial crisis and major job losses.

Biden said he would not negotiate the debt ceiling, but last invited McCarthy to the White House for a conversation on federal spending.

The president said Tuesday he would release a budget plan next month that would cut the federal budget deficit by $2 trillion without touching Social Security or Medicare.

“I will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year,” Biden said. “And I will pay for the ideas I’ve spoken about tonight by getting the rich and big business to start paying their fair share.”