President Joe Biden is stepping up his attacks on House Republicans, claiming their proposals will hurt American families, as both sides prepare to fight over federal government spending.
The new line of attack from the White House, under the flashy name of ‘Five Alarm Fire’, comes as the House Republican Party meets in Orlando to plan its agenda for the coming year, which includes a proposed budget for counter Biden’s.
The administration plans to highlight a different area each day this week about how the Republican Party will harm American families.
Biden, who is expected to run for a second term next year, is pushing for his budget to include more spending on social programs, which he will pay for by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Republicans want to cut federal spending to control the $262 billion federal deficit.
President Joe Biden is stepping up his attacks on House Republicans
‘As MAGA House Republicans head to Florida for their retreat, the White House and Congressional Democrats are taking umbrage, criticizing the Freedom Caucus’ MAGA Budget Proposal as a five-alarm blaze for working families. This is the only Republican House plan on the table, presented by the same members with whom President McCarthy made secret deals to become president,” a White House official said.
Both sides are setting up the next budget battle as a fight over their values. And each side is trying to gain a tactical advantage before sitting down to work out the details of spending.
The White House accuses Republicans of “endangering public safety, raising costs for families, sending manufacturing jobs overseas and undermining American workers, weakening national security, and harming seniors.”
Republicans say it’s time to cut the social safety net, reduce support for Ukraine to focus on the United States and end “woke” spending.
The White House is focusing on a budget plan from the conservative Freedom Caucus that would limit general discretionary spending to fiscal year 2022 levels for 10 years and allow growth of 1 percent per year, cutting $131 billion. compared to current levels.
Much of what the federal government spends each year is mandatory spending set by federal law. That includes funding for programs like Social Security. Another portion is made up of interest payments on the federal debt.
The remaining money is what is subject to political fights over spending priorities.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his Republican conference are on a retreat in Florida working on their budget priorities
Biden’s team argues that the budget for the conservative wing of the GOP would defund the police because it could mean a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
They also say he will end Biden’s $400 billion student loan forgiveness program, recoup unspent Covid funds, and cut social programs on housing and food for the poor.
Caught in the crossfire of the budget fight is the battle over the debt ceiling.
The country is expected to hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion this summer and Republicans want to see spending cuts to reduce the deficit. Biden wants a clean increase in the debt ceiling as has been done with previous presidents, including Donald Trump.
McCarthy, who hosted Biden on Capitol Hill last week for a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon, said at that event he confronted the president over the lack of debt ceiling negotiations.
“I just saw the president again on St. Patrick’s Day, Friday,” the speaker told reporters in Florida over the weekend.
“I sat down with him and said, you said we would meet again. Every day that goes by, you jeopardize the economy,’ he said.
Biden has said he wants to see a Republican budget before beginning any negotiations on government spending or funding cuts.
The political standoff has raised concerns that the country could see its first default, which would be devastating for the economy.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy Hosted President Biden at a St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon on Capitol Hill
But, as the president increases his fire, the Republicans are holding their ground.
“It’s the debt ceiling negotiations that often force the biggest budget reforms, which have been really important to our country,” Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of the GOP leadership, told Punchbowl News on Monday. ‘A clean debt ceiling is not a start.’
House Republicans are focusing on producing their own federal budget during their Florida retreat.
“People underestimated what House Republicans could accomplish, and we’ve really set the agenda,” Stefanik said. “We’re pushing this political agenda more than the Senate and, you know, we’re playing our role as the last endorser for the American people of the one-party Democratic government.”
