Biden Targets ‘MAGA Republicans’ in Health Care Speech Amid Growing Discontent With Economy

Biden Targets ‘MAGA Republicans’ in Health Care Speech Amid Growing Discontent With Economy
President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Kempsville Recreation Center on February 28, 2023 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Emel Akan
Updated:
0:00

President Joe Biden accused “MAGA Republicans” of pursuing a radical plan that he claimed would deprive millions of families of health coverage and threaten to tank the U.S. economy during a speech in Virginia Beach on Tuesday.

Biden touted his plans to safeguard Americans’ access to affordable health care and stated that congressional Republicans are attempting to undo his efforts.

“They want to eliminate a lot of health care coverage,” Biden said, adding that their plans would “increase costs for millions of Americans and make deep cuts in programs that families and seniors depend on.”

He singled out Sen. Rick Scott (R.-Fla.) and criticized his proposal to “sunset social security and medicare every five years.”

Republicans have denied claims by Biden and Democratic lawmakers that they are trying to cut Medicare and Social Security as part of debt-ceiling negotiations.

Biden also mocked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) during his speech for labeling him a “liar” during his State of the Union address. Biden said that the Republican Party is split into two groups.

“There’s an awful lot of really good Republicans, but the MAGA Republicans are a different breed of cat,” Biden said. “They’re not bad or good. It’s just they’re very different,” he said, adding that there are, in his view, two Republican parties.

During his speech, Biden defended his administration’s policies by saying that the economy was in a bad place as the pandemic was in full swing when he took office. He then said he brought the pandemic under control and put the economy back on track.

Biden is expected to keep the economy at the forefront of his re-election campaign, despite widespread public criticism of his handling of the economy. He reiterated his intention to run again for president last week but has yet to make a formal announcement.

According to the most recent ABC News/Washington Post polls, 40 percent of Americans say their financial situation has deteriorated since Biden became president. This was the highest percentage for a president in the polls dating back 37 years.

“Record numbers of people are worse off, a recipe for political discontent,” was the headline for the ABC News story about the survey. The survey also found that almost six in 10 Democratic-aligned adults do not want Biden to be nominated for the position again.

Recently, the White House accused Republicans of basing their budget on a proposal from former Trump Budget Director Russell Vought, which allegedly calls for “draconian cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.”

Biden stated that these plans, along with proposed tax cuts for large corporations, would “explode the deficit.”

He also chastised congressional Republicans for “playing politics” by refusing to vote on raising the debt limit.

Emel Akan
Emel Akan
reporter
Emel Akan is a senior White House correspondent for The Epoch Times, where she covers the Biden administration. Prior to this role, she covered the economic policies of the Trump administration. Previously, she worked in the financial sector as an investment banker at JPMorgan. She graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University.
twitter
Related Topics