Vice President Joseph R. Biden gave the Democrats’ predictable opening salvo Monday against the House Republicans’ proposed budget, telling an audience of college students that the GOP favors the wealthy.
In a speech at George Washington University, Mr. Biden accused House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and his allies of an “incredibly narrow mindset that presumes that wealthy investors are the sole drivers of the economy.”
“What they clearly value, this new Republican Party, is more tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class,” Mr. Biden said. “They genuinely believe in their hearts that that’s the way in which you build a 21st century economy.”
The vice president warned that the GOP’s proposed reforms to Medicare and Medicaid would hurt the sick and elderly, and he accused Republicans of wanting to slash education and infrastructure. Mr. Biden didn’t discuss the administration’s budget, with would raise taxes on high earners and eliminate tax breaks for the oil and gas industry.
House Republicans said the administration was attempting to distract from its own weak economic record.
“The vice president is lashing out because he has no answer for the question Americans are asking: where are the jobs?” said Brendan Buck, a top aide to Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. “This administration has overseen the worst economic recovery in our history and has a budget that never balances, ever — and hysterical attacks from Joe Biden won’t change that.”
Mr. Ryan’s budget would balance the federal government’s books in 10 years by cutting $5.1 trillion in spending, partly by repealing Obamacare’s insurance coverage extension while keeping certain tax revenues and Medicare cuts.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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