State of the Union 2023: Rick Scott releases attack ad after Biden claims GOP wants to cut Medicare

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) released an attack ad calling on President Joe Biden to resign, criticizing the president for his claims that Republicans are seeking to cut Medicare and Social Security benefits.

In an ad set to air in Florida on Wednesday, Scott accuses Biden of cutting roughly $280 billion from Medicare through the Inflation Reduction Act while attacking the GOP with claims it wants to phase out Medicare and Social Security. The Florida senator was referencing a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that would permit Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers, saving the federal government an estimated $280 billion a year without cutting program benefits, according to the Biden administration.

STATE OF THE UNION 2023: RICK SCOTT SAYS BIDEN LYING ABOUT THE GOP STANCE ON MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY

The ad comes after Biden has spent weeks accusing Republicans of seeking to cut Social Security and Medicare provisions as part of budget negotiations. Biden resurfaced these attacks during his State of the Union address, noting, “Some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years.”

That comment was a reference to Scott, who released an 11-point agenda last year that proposed sunsetting all federal laws after five years unless Congress votes to extend them. That plan did not specifically name Medicare or Social Security, but Democrats have used that language to attack the GOP during the midterm elections.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) questions FBI Director Christopher Wray during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

Andrew Harnik/AP

Scott also launched new attacks against Biden in the ad, accusing the president of cheating on his taxes.

“Biden improperly used a loophole to dodge $500,000 in taxes that should’ve gone to Medicare,” Scott said in the ad. “Now that Biden has ripped off Medicare of $500,000, he wants to close the loophole and raise your taxes. … Biden should resign.”

Scott’s claims come after Biden released his tax returns during his 2020 presidential campaign, which showed Biden took advantage of a tax loophole in his 2017 and 2018 returns — a loophole that former President Barack Obama had sought to close during his administration. By using these loopholes, Biden was able to avoid an additional 3.8% in Medicare taxes, according to the Washington Post. 

Biden has since sought to close this loophole, arguing it’s been used over the last century to save wealthy families billions of dollars in taxes — prompting Biden to nickname it the “trust fund loophole.”

Biden referenced such loopholes during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, proposing a minimum income tax for billionaires.

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“Let’s finish the job and close the loopholes that allow the very wealthy to avoid paying their taxes,” Biden said in his prepared remarks. “I will not raise taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year. And I will pay for the ideas I’ve talked about tonight by making the wealthy and big corporations begin to pay their fair share.”

Scott’s ad will begin airing in Florida ahead of Biden’s visit to the Sunshine State later this week.