During last week’s 2023 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden correctly said, “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans — some Republicans — want Medicare and Social Security to sunset.” This claim was met with jeers from Republicans in attendance, some of whom called out that the president was lying despite the GOP’s decadeslong hostility to the benefits programs and the recently reported Republican strategy of using the social safety net as a political cudgel during the self-inflicted debt ceiling crisis if they were to control the Congress after the 2022 midterms. 

The president’s claim is bolstered by multiple GOP politicians’ past comments and proposals aimed at cutting entitlement programs. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has called for the age eligibility of Social Security to be raised and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who expressed indignation at Biden’s comment during his speech, has previously said it is his “objective to phase out Social Security.”

Perhaps the most blatant endorsement of cutting these entitlement programs is a policy blueprint released by National Republican Senatorial Committee head Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). Titled “An 11 Point Plan to Rescue America,” the plan was released in February 2022 and outlined conservative priorities should the GOP win a legislative majority during the following midterm elections. Scott’s proposal not only heeded to radical conservative culture wars and called for increased taxes for the bottom half of the country, but most notably, it called for “all federal legislation” — including Social Security and Medicare — to sunset after five years, forcing Congress to pass it again if it is “worth keeping.”

Like members of Congress, Fox News hosts, personalities, and guests reacted with outrage to the president’s comments, decrying that Biden was lying and “gaslighting” Republicans and the American people. But in doing so, these personalities conveniently forgot not only the GOP’s yearslong attacks against Social Security and Medicare, they also ignored that in February and March 2022, some Fox personalities rallied around Scott’s radicalism and continued to praise his vision for conservative politics throughout the year.    

On the day that Scott released his proposal, prime-time host Sean Hannity praised the senator, saying, “I want to applaud you,” adding a littler later, “I'd like to see the House and the Senate come together on these issues, make these promises to the American people, get elected and then fulfill those promises.” In May 2022, Hannity defended Scott’s plan after Biden called it the “ultra MAGA agenda.” He raved, “Ultra MAGA, you mean, the one that gave us prosperity second to none, secure borders, … trade deals, free and fair for the first time with all of our trading partners all over the world, … record low unemployment for every demographic group. The lowest gas prices we've seen in decades.”

In March, host Laura Ingraham also hosted Scott and touted his plan, calling it “unabashedly populist.” She then failed to confront Scott about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel’s (R-KY) criticism of Scott’s intention to sunset benefits. Instead, she argued McConnell’s opposition came from concern “about his top spot on the GOP totem pole.” Ingraham hosted Scott again in July 2022 and told him, “One of the things that I loved about your blueprint that you laid out — and you came on the show and talked about it — it was very specific issue after issue.” In October 2022, she praised his efforts leading up to the midterm election. 

Even though Tucker Carlson indirectly suggested the day after Biden’s speech that some Republicans may be aiming to cut Social Security, Fox continued the charade the next few days. Here is a non-exhaustive list of Fox figures and guests denying Republican efforts to reduce Social Security: