Biden Travels to Maryland to Highlight GOP’s Legislative Agenda
President Joe Biden traveled to Maryland on Wednesday to draw attention to the legislative agenda of House Republicans, which he argued would add $3 trillion to the national debt over a decade and benefit the wealthy and large corporations.[0] During his address, Biden contrasted his own economic plan with the GOP’s, stating that it would reduce the deficit by $2 trillion over 10 years.[1]
The White House released a fact sheet on Tuesday, noting that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has proposed bills that could increase the debt as a share of the economy “by almost 10 percentage points.”[2] These bills include H.R. 23, the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, which the White House calls the “Tax Cheats Protection Act”, and legislation to repeal Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.[3]
Biden has also sought to capitalize on a viral moment at last week’s State of the Union address, when he accused GOP lawmakers of seeking to cut Social Security and Medicare funding in exchange for addressing the debt limit. He has signaled his willingness to continue working with Republicans on negotiating cuts to spending, so long as they agreed not to use the nation’s debt limit as a bargaining tool.[2]
When introducing his budget on March 9, Biden said people making less than $400,000 a year will not see a single penny increase in taxes, and promised to “invest in America, lower costs and protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.” He called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to do the same, noting that “(McCarthy) said he’s not going to raise taxes at all on anybody, he just wants to cut programs.”[4]
In his speech, Biden also highlighted his plans to lower Americans’ out-of-pocket costs, including lowering junk fees, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and maintaining entitlement programs.[2] He is hoping that his budget will be able to both reduce the deficit and provide Americans with the support they need.
0. “Biden outlines plans to cut U.S. deficit by $2 trillion over the next decade” CNBC, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/15/watch-live-biden-outlines-plans-to-cut-us-deficit-by-2-trillion-over-the-next-decade.html
1. “Flipping the Script, Biden Says GOP Would Add Trillions in Debt” Yahoo Life, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/flipping-script-biden-says-gop-001106796.html
2. “Biden ramps up the pressure on GOP's economic agenda during Maryland speech” kwwl.com, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.kwwl.com/news/politics/biden-ramps-up-the-pressure-on-gops-economic-agenda-during-maryland-speech/article_0e09062d-4023-5faa-9459-9bd4893805b0.html
3. “Biden ramps up the pressure on GOP's economic agenda during Maryland speech” CNN, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/politics/biden-maryland-economy-speech/index.html
4. “‘I'm gonna stop 'em': Biden savages GOP economic plans in campaign-like speech” msnNOW, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/im-gonna-stop-em-biden-savages-gop-economic-plans-in-campaign-like-speech/ar-AA17wHbe
