The leader of the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives did not like that some of his own booed President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Sitting behind and to the left of Biden, Kevin McCarthy turned to the extremists, particularly Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who repeatedly yelled at Biden throughout the speech responding to everything from his comments about the fentanyl to rights cuts.
He also yelled at him “liar” when Biden mentioned the proposed cuts to Medicare and Social Security. She and she remained seated when he introduced the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States and the family of Tire Nichols, the African American recently murdered by five police officers.
At points throughout the speech, Republicans yelled at Biden protesting his approach on a wide range of issues including immigration, Social Security spending, Medicare and the debt ceiling.
“Those are the facts, check it out,” Biden said as the boos began. “I can send you the Republican proposal on the matter.”
Democrats cheered while Republicans remained silent. But when the president accused some Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, the screaming broke out again.
“Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage unless I agree with their economic plans. You all should know what his plans are,” Biden said. “Instead of making the rich pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to end every five years.”
He was probably referring to a proposal by Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chairman of the Republican Senatorial National Committee last year, calling for all federal health benefit legislation to be renewed every five years.
The White House has accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, but McCarthy recently said they were off the table. McCarthy, despite being a Republican, does not have such a radical vision. Perhaps because he was elected from California, a politically softer state.
At one point in his speech, the president said he was “glad to see” the jeers and jeers from Republicans. McCarthy nodded, appearing to silence some members of the audience.
“Folks, as we all seem to agree, Social Security and Medicare are off the books now, right? They are not to be touched,” Biden said. “We are unanimous!”
White House officials relished the off-script moment. They said Biden has long fed off the energy of interacting with her audience.
Onlookers in various offices in the West Wing, staff from the Oval Office, cheered and shook hands at the time, especially at the way the president leaned toward the Republican response, CNN said.
Republican Rep. Bob Good told CNN that he was one of those who interrupted Biden, calling him a “liar.” He said the president had it coming for his comments about Republicans saying they want cuts in Social Security and Medicare.
His Tennessee colleague Andy Ogles, who yelled “it’s your fault” when Biden brought up the fentanyl overdose deaths, defended his yelling.
“For him to stand there with a straight face and tell us he has a solution when he could have closed the border with a stroke of the pen … that offends me,” said Ogles, who linked the overdose deaths to drug trafficking on the US-Mexico border. . “He hasn’t done anything about it.”
After Tuesday night’s speech, McCarthy did not comment when asked about the booing. But another Republican leader, Steve Scalise, did not criticize his members but instead asked the president to stop his rhetoric about a GOP push to cut rights.
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin was harshly critical of representatives who heckled Biden. He was he, he said, “terribly childish” and “unpleasant.”
