Biden says Rick Scott's controversial tax plan is 'extreme, as most MAGA things are'

• Biden railed against Sen. Rick Scott’s economic plan on Wednesday, calling it an ‘ultra-MAGA agenda.’
• Scott’s proposal includes an income tax requirement that would largely affect lower-income households.

President Joe Biden laid into Sen. Rick Scott's controversial economic policy plan on Wednesday, calling it "extreme" and a detriment to working Americans.

"Let me tell you about this ultra-MAGA agenda," Biden said. "It's extreme, as most MAGA things are."

Biden pointed to Scott's tax provisions, which would require all Americans to pay some income tax so they "have skin in the game." The Tax Policy Center found that the plan would raise taxes on mostly lower-income households. Households that make below $54,000 would pay for over 80% of such a tax increase. Under a plan with a minimum tax of $100, the lowest-earning Americans would have paid nearly $1,000 more in taxes in 2022, according to the analysis.

Biden also pushed back against Scott's proposals for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs. The Florida Republican's plan would require Congress to reauthorize such programs every five years. Biden said seniors have paid into Social Security for "their whole life. And it has to be reauthorized?"

The president painted Scott's plans as ludicrous, telling journalists at the White House that, "if they hadn't put this in print, you'd think I was making it up."

"Under this new plan, this tax plan — the ultra-MAGA agenda — while big corporations and billionaires are gonna pay nothing more, the working class folks are gonna pay a hell of a lot more," Biden said.

Scott said on Fox News that he had listened to the president and that "almost every sentence was a complete lie."

Scott's plan has already received its fair share of blowback from Democrats and Republicans alike. Debuted in February, the proposal laid out topics Scott believed Republicans should focus on when campaigning for the 2022 midterm elections. Yet the GOP was quick to distance itself from the plan. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in March that the package "will not be a part of the Republican Senate agenda," adding the party will focus on inflation, energy, crime, and other topics instead.

McConnell isn't alone in his opposition. Other Republican senators complained to party leadership about the proposal and attacks they were facing because of it, The Washington Post reported in April. Many members reportedly "chastised" Scott for creating an unnecessary problem for the party, particularly ahead of elections that are expected to give the GOP control of the Senate.

Biden has consistently pushed for higher taxes on ultra-wealthy Americans to offset social spending. His proposals included a higher tax rate when high-earners sell off assets like stocks or real estate — called capital gains — and a minimum income tax on billionaires. But Biden's run into his own party-line issues on potential tax hikes, with key centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema continually shooting them down.