Senate Republican calls out Biden for ‘dog calls’ on Social Security

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) on Sunday called out President Biden for “dog calls” about Social Security amid partisan spats about funding the federal program. 

“I really think there’s a golden opportunity, and in a bipartisan way, to put Social Security on a long-term plan that would make it better in the future than what it is today and to assure its longevity,” Rounds said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

“But you do that by managing it. You do that by actually talking about it and not doing dog calls every time somebody says, ‘Let’s try to address managing it,’” the senator said.

Biden drew heckling from Republicans during his State of the Union speech last week when he said some in the GOP want to “sunset” Social Security and Medicare. 

“I’m not saying it’s a majority of you… but it’s being proposed by individuals. I’m not – politely not naming them, but it’s being proposed by some of you,” Biden said as Republicans erupted during the address.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted “liar” at the president, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shook his head as he sat behind Biden at the dais. 

Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.), who has proposed to sunset all federal legislation after five years, later said Biden was “twisting my words” and a “very confused president.”

“You’re calling out President Biden for [what] you called dog calls, trying to scare people. But I guess the question is, didn’t Senator Rick Scott give an opening when you talk about sunsetting every program? You know how tough it is to pass anything through the House and Senate, much less a major government spending program every five years,” Tapper asked Rounds on CNN Sunday.

The South Dakota senator said Republicans want to “continue the conversation” of “how we make Medicare, Medicaid better and long-term successful.”

“I think Senator Scott had an idea that he proposed. I think the vast majority of us would say that we prefer to look at it in a different direction, one of managing it, as opposed to a discussion about having everything start over again… But, look, the bottom line is, Republicans want to see Social Security be successful and be improved,” Rounds said.

–Updated at 11:16 a.m.