White House distances Biden from 1975 bill to sunset Social Security: 'Not part of the president's agenda'

The White House is distancing President Biden from his 1975 bill seeking to sunset federal entitlement programs, including Social Security. 

Speaking aboard Air Force One, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed questions from reporters regarding the feud between Biden and the Republicans on Social Security and Medicare.

Asked to contrast the past positions of Biden and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. – who Biden marked as a lawmaker aiming to end Social Security and Medicare – Jean-Pierre dismissed the comparison.

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"The president ran on protecting Medicare and Social Security from cuts, and he reiterated that in the State of the Union. He's been very clear these past couple of years. Rick Scott has the opposite point," Jean-Pierre told the press. "That's just what we're seeing from Scott. He's actually doubling down, tripling down, quadrupling down on that – on his view. And his plan that would sunset both programs. So Scott did that again just this week. I think he did that this morning."

The basis for the criticisms – which Republicans have insisted are false – is a plan Scott put forward calling for all federal programs to sunset and require renewal every five years. 

Scott's plan did not specifically mention Social Security or Medicare, but they are included given that they are federal programs. Biden's accusation did not provide this context.

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Republicans have accused Biden of hypocrisy in criticizing Scott, citing the president's own past proposals to sunset federal entitlement programs.

In 1975, while Biden was in the upper chamber of Congress, the now-president put forward a bill requiring all federal programs to sunset after four years.

When pushing his bill as a senator, Biden said "it requires every program to be looked at freshly at least once every four years."

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Jean-Pierre continued her criticisms of Scott, questioning his opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act – which Jean-Pierre claimed would strengthen Medicare.

"Meanwhile, he's also pushing for the biggest Medicare cut in debt in decades by wanting to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. That is when I was asked about what else he's doing to strengthen Medicare – the Inflation Reduction Act actually does that. And if you cut it, you know, that's going to have huge ramifications as well. So a bill from the 1970s is not part of the president's agenda."

The press secretary pivoted and encouraged citizens to pay attention to Biden's recent history on the Social Security and Medicare, saying, "You have to listen to what the president said the last couple of years about protecting and fighting for Medicare and Social Security and that will remain the case. He was very clear when he spoke to millions of Americans at the State of the Union about that."

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She concluded, "He'll be clear today when he's in Florida on what he sees, the fight ahead, and how important it is to protect, again, what taxpayers have paid into and what they deserve, Medicare and Social Security – something that if you're thinking about it, you're thinking about seniors and veterans."