House Republicans have been adamant for some time now that they will hold the debt limit hostage and let the government default on its debt unless they get the budget cuts they want — which have long included major cuts to social programs like Medicare and Social Security.
After staunch criticism from President Biden and Democrats and after pretending the party doesn’t actually support cuts to the programs, House Republicans — including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — conceded that cuts to Medicare and Social Security are “off the table.”
But months into the new year, they have yet to reveal a budget plan and refuse to specify what they would like to cut.
On Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) once again called on Republicans to release their budget plan.
“Show us your plan,” Jeffries said to reporters during his weekly press conference. “What are you hiding from the American people?”
“We’re still waiting for extreme MAGA Republicans in the House to show us [their] plan,” Jeffries said. “How do you want to invest in building an economy for everyday Americans? How do you propose dealing with the challenges that you often talk about with respect to the deficit? Are you committed to undermining social security, Medicare and Medicaid?”
Jeffries’ public call comes as President Biden is set to reveal a budget proposal on Thursday aimed to cut deficits by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade, according to the White House.
“President Biden has articulated a plan to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Not the top down, which is the extreme MAGA Republican plan, which is to invest in continuing to benefit the wealthy, the well off and the well connected,” Jeffries said in reference to Biden’s expected proposal. “That is a contrast that should be put before the American people. But in order for that contrast to be fully clarified, the question that the extreme MAGA Republicans need to answer is: Where is your plan? What are you hiding from the American people?
“The House Republican budget plan is in the witness protection program,” Jeffries added. “It’s in hiding.”
