Republicans’ real agenda

In the homestretch of the campaign, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida claimed he doesn’t know any Republicans who want to cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. Matthew Yglesias and Laura McGann can name a few. In fact, as much as the election has been a debate about inflation, abortion and democracy, none of those issues will be at the top of either party’s agenda at the start of the next Congress. Instead, House Republicans are planning to force President Joe Biden to make cuts to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. It would be risky to cut these popular programs on their own, but Democrats won’t agree to join them without a compromise, like raising taxes. So that leaves Republicans hoping to hold up a vote on the debt ceiling to force Biden’s hand.