President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on October 21, 2022 in Washington, D.C.
(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Oct 21, 2022
President Joe Biden pledged Friday to defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican attacks but rejected calls to support a full repeal of the debt ceiling, an arbitrary federal borrowing limit that the GOP is threatening to use as leverage to enact spending cuts.
"The Republican leadership in Congress has made it clear they will crash the economy next year by threatening the full faith and credit of the United States for the first time in our history, putting the United States in default, unless, unless, we yield to their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare," Biden said in a speech at the White House.
"Let me be really clear: I will not yield," the president vowed. "I will not cut Social Security. I will not cut Medicare, no matter how hard they work at it."
Biden's remarks came during an address touting new Treasury Department data showing that the federal budget deficit was chopped in half last fiscal year--a finding the president used to hit Republicans for spending hypocrisy. The sharp drop in the deficit was caused in large part by the expiration of Covid-19 relief programs.
"The federal deficit went up every single year in the Trump administration, every single year he was president," Biden said. "It went up before the pandemic. It went up during the pandemic. It went up every single year on his watch, the Republican watch."
\u201cHere's what MAGA Republicans are saying: They'll threaten the stability of the US Economy unless we meet their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare.\n\nIt's an extreme and dangerous threat\u2014we should take it seriously.\u201d— CAP Action (@CAP Action) 1666367760
While Biden pledged to fight GOP attacks on Social Security and Medicare, he told reporters Friday that he would not support scrapping the debt limit, a constraint that Congress imposes on the Treasury Department's ability to borrow to meet its obligations--which include Social Security and Medicare benefits.
The president said repealing the debt limit entirely would be "irresponsible," a position that puts him in conflict with members of his own party and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Short of removing the debt ceiling, congressional Democrats have the option of raising the borrowing limit unilaterally during the upcoming lame-duck session. Such a move would prevent Republicans from following through on their recent threats to use the debt ceiling as leverage to force Social Security and Medicare cuts if they win control of the House, Senate, or both.
Some Democrats have also proposed giving the executive branch the power to raise the debt ceiling, but it's unclear whether the White House supports that idea.
The federal government is expected to reach the current $31.4 trillion debt limit sometime next year. Semaforreported Thursday that Democrats are wary of raising the debt limit during the lame-duck session, fearing GOP attacks.
Countering Biden's claim that eliminating the debt ceiling would be "irresponsible," University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers argued Friday that "the debt ceiling has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility."
"It doesn't control how much Congress takes in or how much it spends," Wolfers noted. "Rather, it says: Once we hit this limit, we'll stop paying our bills, including our debts. It's a fiscal time bomb. Keeping it is irresponsible."
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Joe Biden pledged Friday to defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican attacks but rejected calls to support a full repeal of the debt ceiling, an arbitrary federal borrowing limit that the GOP is threatening to use as leverage to enact spending cuts.
"The Republican leadership in Congress has made it clear they will crash the economy next year by threatening the full faith and credit of the United States for the first time in our history, putting the United States in default, unless, unless, we yield to their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare," Biden said in a speech at the White House.
"Let me be really clear: I will not yield," the president vowed. "I will not cut Social Security. I will not cut Medicare, no matter how hard they work at it."
Biden's remarks came during an address touting new Treasury Department data showing that the federal budget deficit was chopped in half last fiscal year--a finding the president used to hit Republicans for spending hypocrisy. The sharp drop in the deficit was caused in large part by the expiration of Covid-19 relief programs.
"The federal deficit went up every single year in the Trump administration, every single year he was president," Biden said. "It went up before the pandemic. It went up during the pandemic. It went up every single year on his watch, the Republican watch."
\u201cHere's what MAGA Republicans are saying: They'll threaten the stability of the US Economy unless we meet their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare.\n\nIt's an extreme and dangerous threat\u2014we should take it seriously.\u201d— CAP Action (@CAP Action) 1666367760
While Biden pledged to fight GOP attacks on Social Security and Medicare, he told reporters Friday that he would not support scrapping the debt limit, a constraint that Congress imposes on the Treasury Department's ability to borrow to meet its obligations--which include Social Security and Medicare benefits.
The president said repealing the debt limit entirely would be "irresponsible," a position that puts him in conflict with members of his own party and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Short of removing the debt ceiling, congressional Democrats have the option of raising the borrowing limit unilaterally during the upcoming lame-duck session. Such a move would prevent Republicans from following through on their recent threats to use the debt ceiling as leverage to force Social Security and Medicare cuts if they win control of the House, Senate, or both.
Some Democrats have also proposed giving the executive branch the power to raise the debt ceiling, but it's unclear whether the White House supports that idea.
The federal government is expected to reach the current $31.4 trillion debt limit sometime next year. Semaforreported Thursday that Democrats are wary of raising the debt limit during the lame-duck session, fearing GOP attacks.
Countering Biden's claim that eliminating the debt ceiling would be "irresponsible," University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers argued Friday that "the debt ceiling has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility."
"It doesn't control how much Congress takes in or how much it spends," Wolfers noted. "Rather, it says: Once we hit this limit, we'll stop paying our bills, including our debts. It's a fiscal time bomb. Keeping it is irresponsible."
From Your Site Articles
President Joe Biden pledged Friday to defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican attacks but rejected calls to support a full repeal of the debt ceiling, an arbitrary federal borrowing limit that the GOP is threatening to use as leverage to enact spending cuts.
"The Republican leadership in Congress has made it clear they will crash the economy next year by threatening the full faith and credit of the United States for the first time in our history, putting the United States in default, unless, unless, we yield to their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare," Biden said in a speech at the White House.
"Let me be really clear: I will not yield," the president vowed. "I will not cut Social Security. I will not cut Medicare, no matter how hard they work at it."
Biden's remarks came during an address touting new Treasury Department data showing that the federal budget deficit was chopped in half last fiscal year--a finding the president used to hit Republicans for spending hypocrisy. The sharp drop in the deficit was caused in large part by the expiration of Covid-19 relief programs.
"The federal deficit went up every single year in the Trump administration, every single year he was president," Biden said. "It went up before the pandemic. It went up during the pandemic. It went up every single year on his watch, the Republican watch."
\u201cHere's what MAGA Republicans are saying: They'll threaten the stability of the US Economy unless we meet their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare.\n\nIt's an extreme and dangerous threat\u2014we should take it seriously.\u201d— CAP Action (@CAP Action) 1666367760
While Biden pledged to fight GOP attacks on Social Security and Medicare, he told reporters Friday that he would not support scrapping the debt limit, a constraint that Congress imposes on the Treasury Department's ability to borrow to meet its obligations--which include Social Security and Medicare benefits.
The president said repealing the debt limit entirely would be "irresponsible," a position that puts him in conflict with members of his own party and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Short of removing the debt ceiling, congressional Democrats have the option of raising the borrowing limit unilaterally during the upcoming lame-duck session. Such a move would prevent Republicans from following through on their recent threats to use the debt ceiling as leverage to force Social Security and Medicare cuts if they win control of the House, Senate, or both.
Some Democrats have also proposed giving the executive branch the power to raise the debt ceiling, but it's unclear whether the White House supports that idea.
The federal government is expected to reach the current $31.4 trillion debt limit sometime next year. Semaforreported Thursday that Democrats are wary of raising the debt limit during the lame-duck session, fearing GOP attacks.
Countering Biden's claim that eliminating the debt ceiling would be "irresponsible," University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers argued Friday that "the debt ceiling has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility."
"It doesn't control how much Congress takes in or how much it spends," Wolfers noted. "Rather, it says: Once we hit this limit, we'll stop paying our bills, including our debts. It's a fiscal time bomb. Keeping it is irresponsible."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.