During a press conference call, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) demanded consequences for the Biden administration’s lies — arguing that “heads need to roll” over false claims that House Republicans’ debt ceiling plan would cut veterans’ care.
The @HouseGOP debt ceiling plan to limit spending $5 trillion over 10 yrs: return fed bureaucracy to pre-Covid levels, end unfair bailout of student loans, require able-bodied Americans to work, & end corporate crony “green” handouts to China. #LimitSaveGrow #ShrinkDCGrowAmerica pic.twitter.com/PH9Ug1mKZD
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) April 28, 2023
The Republican veteran lawmakers’ conference call on Sunday was hosted by House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) — and was prompted by lies from Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough that the “Limit, Save, Grow Act” could harm the supposed progress made by the Biden administration on expanding care for veterans.
“If they go forward with it, there’s a real chance that we could see a reduction of 30 million outpatient visits for veterans, as many as 81,000 jobs cut in the Veterans Health Administration. That’s a very real impact on veterans who rely on VA for their health care,” McDonough falsely claimed last week.
House Republicans immediately condemned McDonough, denouncing his claims. Perry, a veteran and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, explained that the debt ceiling legislation does nothing to cut Social Security, Medicare or funding for veterans — three things that the left insists are being targeted by the GOP.
“If they’ve got time to divert this much and resources away from veterans care to lie about it, obviously they’re not focused on our heroes,” he said. “It is completely wholly unacceptable, and heads need to roll for it.”
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who is also a veteran, said in a statement to Breitbart News that he believes Democrats want to continue spreading lies about the GOP debt ceiling legislation to avoid defending President Joe Biden’s refusal to negotiate about the debt ceiling with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“They want to avoid the topic,” Davidson said. “I mean, they’re doing everything they can to try to defend Joe Biden’s indefensible position, that it’s going to be a clean debt ceiling. House Republicans, led by Speaker McCarthy, have been very clear. It’s not going to be a clean debt ceiling. We’ve made a very clear and bold counteroffer. They said we couldn’t do it. We held our Republicans together and we presented something that they don’t want to deal with. So they’re trying to change the subject. I’d like to see him take a recorded vote rather than avoid the subject.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) agreed with Davidson’s assertion.
“You have a scenario where this administration is avoiding negotiating with Speaker McCarthy avoiding negotiating with Republicans because all they want is a clean debt ceiling, lift without cuts and spending,” said Steube, a veteran who served in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“We have to cut spending in order to rein in the debt ceiling and the deficit that we’ve been funding as a government, but I want to make it very clear that none of that’s going to be on military spending,” Steube added. “And none of that’s going to be on veterans spending. And again, you have a complete mess of misrepresentations by the Democrats, because they don’t have anything else to offer other than the lie about what Republicans are doing.”
Facts https://t.co/krC0iD6Y1V
— RepScottPerry (@RepScottPerry) April 28, 2023
The congressmen’s comments come after several Democrats — including Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) — have urged the president to negotiate as the debt ceiling deadline looms.
While McCarthy and the Republicans are demanding that Biden agree to cut spending in some areas, the president refuses to consider saving taxpayers money in any way — and would rather just continue to raise the debt ceiling while ignoring wasteful spending.
President Biden campaigned on “unity,” but won’t negotiate with @SpeakerMcCarthy on the debt ceiling?
Americans deserve better. https://t.co/SrAdvwrsZY
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 30, 2023