CNN host Dana Bash confronted and fact-checked Sen. Rick Scott for falsely claiming the Democratic Party cut $280 million out of Medicare.
That is a lie.
Sen. Scott caused a big problem with the Republican Party when he proposed a plan that would tax working class families and cut Medicare and Social Security benefits for seniors.
The Florida Senator chose not to defend his plan but instead to lie about what the Democratic Party passed to actually help seniors save money.
Here's the exchange.
Bash: Well, let's talk about your midterms agenda. Democrats say that one of your proposals that -- which would sunset all federal legislation after five years jeopardizes Medicare and Social Security.
You have previously said that those programs need to be preserved, reformed and protected. So, just a simple yes or no, do Republicans want to cut Medicare and/or Social Security?
Scott: Absolutely not. And the Democrats just cut $280 billion, all Democrats in the Senate and House voted to cut two $80 billion out of Medicare just two months ago. And then they want to say Republicans want to cut something?
Democrats have done this.
BASH: Senator...
SCOTT: Joe Biden, when he was senator, said he wanted to cut Medicare and Social Security.
I believe we got to preserve them and make sure we -- we -- we keep them. What I want to do is make sure we live within our means and make sure we preserve those programs. People paid into them. They believe in them. I believe in them. And I'm going to fight like hell to make sure we preserve Medicare and Social Security.
BASH: Just want to correct the record. The Democrats' plan, which is now law, didn't cut Social -- excuse me -- it didn't cut Medicare benefits. It allowed for negotiation for prescription drug prices, which would ultimately bring down the price and the costs for Medicare consumers.
But I want to ask the next question, which is about raising the eligibility.
SCOTT: OK. Can we just finish that, though?
BASH: Sure.
SCOTT: It cut 280 -- Dana, it cut $280 billion out of Medicare. That means we're going to have fewer lifesaving drugs. It cut $280 billion out of Medicare.
They can say they want -- they did all that. They cut $280 billion out of Medicare.
BASH: It didn't cut benefits.
SCOTT: It will reduce lifesaving drugs.
BASH: It didn't...
(CROSSTALK)
SCOTT: You cut $280 billion out of Medicare, something is going to happen, Dana. Come on. I mean...
BASH: OK. All right, but I -- all right, I want to -- we can debate that and for a long time, but I want to focus on you and the Republicans and what you want to do right now.
Sen. Scott used bogus information by a shadowy group to lie on CNN. It's outrageous, but Congressional Republicans can only lie, lie, and lie some more to cover up their extremism.
Politifact writes, "No, Senate bill won’t strip $300 billion from Medicare.
The American Prosperity Alliance has almost no online profile. Its website provides only a link to the ad, and no identifying information or even any pages beyond the homepage.
Rather, the $300 billion — technically, almost $288 billion, according to the latest Congressional Budget Office analysis — stems from a provision in the Democratic bill that would end the longstanding bar on Medicare from negotiating with drugmakers over the price of certain medicines. Not being able to negotiate prices has meant that Medicare — the pharmaceutical market’s biggest single buyer — could not leverage its weight to secure lower prices for taxpayers.
Repeat a lie over and over again, spit and repeat.
