Feb. 10, 2023: McConnell vs. Scott, part LVII
And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott's “Rescue America” plan, which states, “All federal legislation sunsets in 5 years,” with no exceptions for Social Security and Medicare: “This is a bad idea. I think it will be a challenge for him to deal with this in his own reelection in Florida, a state with more elderly people than any other state in America.”
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Show Notes
Since 2009, the president has almost always sat down for an interview with the network broadcasting the Super Bowl. But ahead of Sunday’s big game, Fox News is worried Biden is freezing them out, Variety’s Brian Steinberg scooped. Though Fox didn’t demand any conditions for the interview, the White House hasn’t committed, and “executives at Fox News are proceeding as if it will not” happen.
And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott's “Rescue America” plan, which states, “All federal legislation sunsets in 5 years,” with no exceptions for Social Security and Medicare: “This is a bad idea. I think it will be a challenge for him to deal with this in his own reelection in Florida, a state with more elderly people than any other state in America.”
More McConnell: “Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy said Social Security and Medicare are not to be touched, and I’ve said the same. And I think we’re in a more authoritative position to state what the position of the party is than any single senator.” (h/t AP’s Seung Min Kim)
Scott world’s response, via longtime Scott spokesman Chris Hartline: “Lol. Rick Scott knows how to win Florida a hell of a lot better than Mitch McConnell does. Some DC Republicans can keep parroting Democrat lies, but that won’t stop Rick Scott from fighting for conservative principles instead of caving to Biden every day.”
Reminder: After Biden called out “some Republicans” Tuesday for wanting to sunset Social Security and Medicare, Scott called the suggestion “a lie” but has not changed the wording of his plan.
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Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.
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