WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is aiming to use the leadup to the release of his proposed budget next week to sketch a dire picture of what could happen…
President Joe Biden is aiming to use the leadup to the release of his proposed budget next week to sketch a dire picture of what could happen to U.S. health care if congressional Republicans had their way with federal spending.
The Democratic president is traveling to Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Tuesday to discuss potential GOP efforts to cut spending on health care, part of a broader presidential push this week to draw a strong contrast between his administration’s priorities and those of Republicans.
“The bottom line is this: Congressional Republicans have committed themselves to very deep cuts to programs that tens of millions of Americans count on,” Aviva Aron-Dine, deputy director of the National Economic Council, said of Biden’s planned remarks. “And the president believes that they owe the American people transparency about what that will mean, and if they won’t provide it, he will.”
Biden is expected to build on that message in a meeting with House Democrats in Baltimore on Wednesday and before Senate Democrats on Thursday. The effort to highlight major differences with Republicans comes as Biden is expected to launch a reelection campaign this spring.
The president is due to release his budget plan on March 9, promising to trim the national debt by $2 trillion over 10 years without cuts to spending on Democratic priorities like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Biden has challenged House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to publicly issue his own budget proposal. McCarthy is insisting on spending cuts to balance the budget, but he has not provided any specifics, other than ruling out cutbacks in Social Security and Medicare.
