Twitter flagged a Sunday tweet from President Biden that claimed Republicans are threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare – a message the White House has pushed amid debt ceiling negotiations, but one that several Twitter users said needs more “context.”
“House Republicans are threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare, putting the dignity of millions of Americans who rely on these programs at risk,” Biden tweeted. “I won’t stand for that. We ought to strengthen these programs – not gut them.”
But underneath that message, Twitter inserted a reader context note clarifying that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., “said ahead of a meeting with President Biden this week that cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table in talks around raising the debt limit.”
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Twitter adds “context” notes when they are rated highly enough by Twitter users, a point that Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, stressed late last year when the White House tweeted that Biden’s “leadership” is what prompted a large increase in Social Security payments. Twitter readers noted that it was high inflation that led to a high increase in Social Security payments, and the White House ultimately deleted that tweet.
McCarthy noted in January his “Commitment to America” plan details the need to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, not cut them, as Biden and other Democrats have claimed. The White House responded to the comments from McCarthy by noting previous efforts from Republicans to cut the programs as they attempt to reform them.
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“For years, congressional Republicans have advocated for slashing earned benefits using Washington code words like ‘strengthen,’ when their policies would privatize Medicare and Social Security, raise the retirement age, or cut benefits,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told The Hill in January. “House Republicans refuse to raise revenue from the wealthy, but insist they will ‘strengthen’ earned benefits programs.”
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Biden and McCarthy held a private meeting last week to discuss the debt ceiling. The Senate has left the debate to the Republican-controlled House.
Biden is set to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday.