Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mitch-mcconnell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitch McConnell</a> (R-KY) removed Sens. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rick-scott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Scott</a> (R-FL) and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-lee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Lee</a> (R-UT) from the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday after the two lawmakers attempted to oust the veteran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican</a> leader.
Scott claimed during an <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3840167-mcconnell-pulls-rival-rick-scott-off-powerful-commerce-committee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with The Hill that McConnell “kicked” him off the Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over science, transportation, technology, and a host of interstate commerce issues. Scott reportedly learned of the decision in a text message and was “furious,” one source told the outlet, which added that other conservatives concur that the failed leadership bid was a major factor behind the removal.
“This is what happens when you challenge leadership,” he said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “It was McConnell’s decision to remove someone who has actually run businesses and ran the third largest state from a committee I’ve served on for four years. You’ll have to ask him why.”
Mike Lee&#8217;s communications director, Lee Lonsberry, told The Daily Wire that the lawmaker “would have liked to stay on as a member of the Commerce Committee, but this change won’t affect the good work he does for the people of Utah and the nation.” McConnell&#8217;s office declined to comment when contacted by The Daily Wire.
Scott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rick-scott-announces-bid-to-oust-mcconnell-as-senate-gop-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> his opposition campaign to McConnell following the midterm elections, during which Republicans were expected to see a robust majority in the House of Representatives and possibly clinch the majority in the Senate. Democrats instead gained one seat in the upper chamber as Republicans managed to win a razor-thin majority in the House.
In a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23307461-rick-scott-senate-leader-letter?responsive=1&amp;title=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to his colleagues sent days after the midterms, Scott said he was “deeply disappointed” by the results and added that Republican voters failed to see a concrete plan for governance from party leadership. He also cited concerns such as omnibus bills, excessive federal spending, and compromise deals with which most Republicans “disagree.”
“I understand that I won’t gain the support of every member of our Conference, but we all have a clear choice to make. If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me,” he wrote. “I ask for your support in changing the direction of the Senate and rescuing America from the dangerous path Democrats have set it on.”
McConnell <a href="https://twitter.com/heatherscope/status/1592629761205235712" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to the challenge that he had the necessary votes to prevail and forecasted that he would be elected. “I don’t own this job. Anybody in the conference is certainly entitled to challenge me,” he added. “And I welcome the contest.”
While 10 senators, including Lee, voted for Scott, 37 voted for McConnell. “I’m not going anywhere,” McConnell said after the vote, according to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-mitch-mcconnell-congress-9f1be1d3635127dbb3e17a3fae1ac86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Associated Press, adding that he was “pretty proud” of the outcome.
The vote among Senate Republicans followed a similarly heated leadership contest among their counterparts in the House. Several members <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/seven-house-republicans-list-demands-for-next-speaker-as-mccarthy-battles-for-every-vote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded</a> that the next Speaker of the House should ensure greater representation of conservative-leaning members on important committees, pledge to limit expenditures, and prioritize holding “weaponized” government agencies accountable. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) eventually <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-kevin-mccarthy-elected-next-speaker-of-the-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">garnered</a> enough Republican votes to assume control of the gavel.

Senate Prepares To Vote On Major Infrastructure Bill

McConnell Boots Two Senators Off Top Committee After They Tried To Oust Him As Leader

McConnell Boots Scott, Lee From Commerce Committee

Congress

Mike Lee

Mitch McConnell

Politics

Republicans

Rick Scott

Senate

Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mitch-mcconnell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitch McConnell</a> won re-election to lead the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GOP</a> in the Senate on Wednesday, fending off a challenge from Florida Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rick-scott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Scott</a>.
A group of GOP senators <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/11/gop-senators-call-for-postponing-leadership-elections-00066532">called</a> to push off the leadership vote until after the Georgia runoff race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican candidate Herschel Walker, according to a Friday report from Politico.
McConnell responded to the senators on Tuesday, dismissing their arguments and pushing forward with the leadership vote.
“I think the outcome is pretty clear,” McConnell <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/politics/rick-scott-challenges-mitch-mcconnell/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “I want to repeat again. I have the votes; I will be elected. The only issue is whether we do it sooner or later.”
McConnell, 80, is on track to <a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/longest-serving-party-leaders.htm">becoming</a> the longest serving party leader in the Senate. First elected in 1985, McConnell has led Republicans in the Senate for 15 years since 2007. Former Democratic Sen. Michael Mansfield holds the record for longest serving party leader at 16 years from 1961-1977.
Scott, who headed the National Republican Senatorial Committee during midterms, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rick-scott-announces-bid-to-oust-mcconnell-as-senate-gop-leader">launched</a> his bid to unseat McConnell earlier this week. Scott ran the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm that is chiefly responsible for helping Republicans get elected to the Senate. The Florida senator oversaw an underwhelming performance in the 2022 midterm elections where the GOP lost a slate of close contests and failed to pick up any more seats.
“I’m writing to you today because I believe it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against,” Scott <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/mcconnell-re-elected-senate-gop-leader-defeating-challenge-rick-scott-rcna57487" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> fellow Republicans in a letter Tuesday. “I do not believe we can simply continue to say the Democrats are radical, which they are. Republican voters expect and deserve to know our plan to promote and advance conservative values.”
McConnell and Scott and their allies traded barbs in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections, pointing fingers and casting blame for the GOP falling short of expectations. Montana Sen. Steve Daines was elected Wednesday to take over the reins at the NRSC heading into 2024.
Scott and the NRSC face questions over their allocation of resources. During a three-hour GOP conference on Tuesday, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN) and Thom Tillis (NC) suggested auditing the NRSC’s expenditures during the campaign season in an effort to understand where Republicans may have gone wrong, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/16/rick-scott-nrsc-00067439">Politico</a>.
Scott appeared to respond to the push for an investigation in his Wednesday letter, emphasizing his push to reform the Senate GOP’s campaign arm. He took over the NRSC in November 2020 for the 2022 midterm cycle.
“When that’s your starting point, you work really hard to make sure there are transparent processes,” Scott said, “[W]e are more than happy to sit down with any member of the caucus to walk them through our spending.”

Mitch McConnell Keeps Hold On Senate GOP, Knocks Back Challenge From Rick Scott

Republican Party

U.S. Senate

Washington D.C.

Two GOP senators are calling for an audit of Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott&#8217;s National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) after weak results in the 2022 midterms.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) argued that an independent review of the committee should be held to determine how money was spent and investigate the lack of results in gaining a majority in the Senate.
Chris Hartline, an NRSC spokesperson, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/16/rick-scott-nrsc-00067439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Politico that the call for an audit was unnecessary, as the committee provides regular filings with the Federal Election Commission.
“We get audited every month. It’s called an FEC report,” Hartline said, adding that “every member of the caucus was kept in the loop on NRSC strategy and spending all cycle.”
The NRSC raised $234.6 million for the cycle leading up to October 19, with the committee spending $235.3 million since the start of 2021, according to the report.
The calls for an audit also come as Scott vies to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Scott announced his intention to challenge McConnell for the leadership position on Tuesday.
&#8220;The status quo is broken and big change is needed. It&#8217;s time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative agenda,&#8221; Scott tweeted. &#8220;That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m running to be the Senate Republican Leader.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m writing to you today because I believe it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against,&#8221; Scott said in a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rick-scott-announces-plan-unseat-mitch-mcconnell-top-republican-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to his party&#8217;s fellow Republican senators. &#8220;I do not believe we can simply continue to say the Democrats are radical, which they are. Republican voters expect and deserve to know our plan to promote and advance conservative values.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The status quo is broken and big change is needed. It&#39;s time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative agenda.
That&#39;s why I&#39;m running to be the Senate Republican Leader.<a href="https://t.co/B0rdMuR64Z">https://t.co/B0rdMuR64Z</a>
&mdash; Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1592614847698833409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is among those supporting Scott&#8217;s effort.
&#8220;I’ll be nominating @SenRickScott for Senate Republican leader. We need a different, more collaborative governing model for our conference that is focused on fiscal sanity &amp; bringing function to the Senate,&#8221; Johnson tweeted on Tuesday. &#8220;I hope elections are delayed so Rick has a chance to lay out his vision.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I’ll be nominating <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenRickScott</a> for Senate Republican leader. We need a different, more collaborative governing model for our conference that is focused on fiscal sanity &amp; bringing function to the Senate. 
I hope elections are delayed so Rick has a chance to lay out his vision. <a href="https://t.co/TSyHD7qaUl">pic.twitter.com/TSyHD7qaUl</a>
&mdash; Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRonJohnson/status/1592666690109984768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
During a Fox Business interview on Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said it was a bad idea to hold leadership elections this week.
“I think it is insane, it would be nuts for us to have leadership elections now and simply re-election the exact same leadership,&#8221; Cruz <a href="https://twitter.com/RichSementa/status/1592644774515048448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Concerns have also been expressed about House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-wins-gop-nomination-for-house-speaker-over-conservative-protests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nominated</a> as the party&#8217;s leader by his colleagues on Tuesday in a secret ballot, though he was opposed by 31 lawmakers. He would need to receive at least 218 votes in January to move forward as the next speaker of the House.
The Daily Wire reached out to Sens. Scott, Blackburn, Tillis, and the NRSC for comment but did not receive responses by publication.

GOP Senators Call For Audit Of NRSC After Midterm Majority Fail

2022 Midterms

Elections

Florida

Marsha Blackburn

Thom Tillis

U.S.

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rick-scott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Scott</a> (R-FL) has announced a bid to oust Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mitch-mcconnell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitch McConnell</a> (R-KY) as the Republican Leader of the Senate after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2022-midterms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">midterm</a> elections.
Scott <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/politics/rick-scott-challenges-mitch-mcconnell/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made</a> the announcement in a note to his Republican colleagues on Tuesday that was sent to The Daily Wire by Scott&#8217;s office. It was initially obtained by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rick-scott-announces-plan-unseat-mitch-mcconnell-top-republican-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News Digital</a>.
In the note, which was published by Fox News Digital, Scott tells his colleagues that he believes “it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against.”
While he believes the Democrats are “radical,” Scott says Republicans cannot “simply continue to say” so.
“Republican voters expect and deserve to know our plan to promote and advance conservative values. We need to listen to their calls for action and start governing in Washington like we campaign back at home,” he added.
Scott added that he was “deeply disappointed” by the midterm election results, and “[d]espite what the armchair quarterbacks on TV will tell you, there is no one person responsible for our party’s performance across the country.”
While he said that the main issue in elections across the country was low turnout of Republican voters, he also thinks “voters want a plan.”
“They are begging us to tell them what we will do when we are in charge. Unfortunately, we have continued to elect leadership who refuses to do that and elicits attacks on anyone that does. That is clearly not working and it’s time for bold change. The voters are demanding it,” he added. 
“If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me,” he noted.
Scott is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and has differed with McConnell over political approaches throughout the past year.
A New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/us/politics/senate-republican-committee-funds.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from September detailed the drama surrounding the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, led by Scott, who decided to change how the organization raised funds over the internet. The committee brought in a record amount of money, but then spent over 95% of the $181.5 million it had raised by the end of July 2022. The Times found that Scott’s attempt to raise money online didn’t pay off.
McConnell is also the source of some controversy regarding fundraising. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that it was “indefensible” for the McConnell-backed Senate Leadership Fund to pull $9.6 million in television ads from the Arizona Senate election.
&#8220;Because Masters said he would vote against Mitch McConnell. And so Mitch would rather be leader than have a Republican majority. If there’s a Republican who can win who’s not going to support Mitch, the truth of the matter is he’d rather the Democrat win,&#8221; Cruz <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/15/gop-mitch-mcconnell-2022-senate-loss-blame" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Other conservative senators have <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/15/gop-mitch-mcconnell-2022-senate-loss-blame" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed</a> to have McConnell postpone the Senate Republican leadership elections until the Georgia Senate runoff election is over.
The Daily Wire has reached out to Senator McConnell and Senator Scott’s offices for comment.

1ED294B1-54D0-4936-8261-736D64B74279_1_201_a

Rick Scott Announces Bid To Oust McConnell As Senate GOP Leader

Rick Scott Announces Bid To Oust Mitch McConnell As Senate GOP Leader

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) predicted that the GOP would pick up at least two seats in the U.S. Senate during this week&#8217;s midterm elections.
Scott, who made the remarks during an interview on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet The Press,&#8221; said he believes that the Republican Party is going to have a &#8220;great night.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to get 52-plus. We&#8217;re going to win Pennsylvania. We&#8217;re going to win Wisconsin.&#8221; Scott said.
&#8220;We have great candidates. People are showing up to vote. There&#8217;s no energy on the Democrat side,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;This election is about the Biden agenda. People don&#8217;t like high inflation, high crime, open borders, fentanyl. That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re talking about. So Mehmet Oz is going to win, Ted Budd&#8217;s going to win, Herschel Walker&#8217;s going to win, Adam Laxalt is going to win. I think we have a really good shot in Arizona, I think we have a shot – a real good shot in New Hampshire. I think we have a shot in Washington and Colorado. We maybe even have a shot — depends on the voters — in Connecticut. Think about it: half of the Democrats&#8217; seats, we are in the hunt to win. So we&#8217;re going to get 52-plus.&#8221;
Scott later added that the issues are on the Republicans&#8217; side and that the NRSC &#8220;explained exactly who the Democrats were, we did the first day I started in this job, and we&#8217;ve done it all along.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) says Republicans &quot;explained exactly who the Democrats were.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/ScottforFlorida?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottforFlorida</a>: &quot;We have great candidates, the issues are on our side, and we&#39;ve defined, we did our job at the NRSC, we explained exactly who the Democrats were.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YVmp2QJgxN">pic.twitter.com/YVmp2QJgxN</a>
&mdash; Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1589273007087812608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCIPT:
<blockquote>CHUCK TODD: And now I want to bring in Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, he&#8217;s in charge of getting Republicans elected to the Senate. He chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and he joins me now. Senator Scott, welcome back to Meet the Press, sir.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Well, congratulations on 75 years.
CHUCK TODD: I appreciate that, 3,600 episodes and then some. Let me start with this –
SEN. RICK SCOTT: That&#8217;s right.
CHUCK TODD: You have not been shy about saying you believe Republicans are going to get 52 seats. Can you get 52 Senate seats without Pennsylvania?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Oh, I think we&#8217;re going to have a great night.
CHUCK TODD: Yeah. Can you do it without Pennsylvania?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: We&#8217;re going to get 52-plus. We&#8217;re going to win Pennsylvania.
CHUCK TODD: I understand you believe you are.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: We&#8217;re going to win Wisconsin.
CHUCK TODD: Do you believe you&#8217;re going to get to 52? Can you get it without it?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, look, here&#8217;s where we are right now. We&#8217;re going to win – we’re going to Wisconsin, Ron Johnson&#8217;s run a great race. First off, just stop and think about it. We have great candidates. People are showing up to vote. There&#8217;s no energy on the Democrat side. This election is about the Biden agenda. People don&#8217;t like high inflation, high crime, open borders, fentanyl. That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re talking about. So Mehmet Oz is going to win, Ted Budd&#8217;s going to win, Herschel Walker&#8217;s going to win, Adam Laxalt is going to win. I think we have a really good shot in Arizona, I think we have a shot – a real good shot in New Hampshire. I think we have a shot in Washington and Colorado. We maybe even have a shot — depends on the voters — in Connecticut. Think about it: half of the Democrats&#8217; seats, we are in the hunt to win. So we&#8217;re going to get 52-plus.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you – Yeah. Let me ask you about Arizona and New Hampshire. You didn&#8217;t put them in your win category yet. You put them in the “you think you have a shot there.” Coincidentally or not, those are the two seats that Senator McConnell&#8217;s super PAC chose to pull out of, and not invest in. In hindsight, was that a mistake?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Well, we&#8217;ve invested. We&#8217;ve invested all along. I&#8217;ve always believed Blake Masters has every reason to believe he can win. He&#8217;s run a great race. We&#8217;ve defined Kelly as somebody that has voted against the border in Arizona three times, he&#8217;s always voted with Schumer and Biden. And then we&#8217;ve got Hassan who has a very difficult time up there because she&#8217;s voted basically 100% with the Democrats. And so I think – I think Don Bolduc&#8217;s got a really good chance of winning. Actually, if I was predicting now, I believe we&#8217;re going to win both Arizona, I believe we&#8217;re going to win New Hampshire.
CHUCK TODD: If you come up short in the Senate and Arizona and New Hampshire are the reason, whose fault is that?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Well, I don&#8217;t believe we&#8217;re going to come up short. I believe we&#8217;ve got great candidates. I think the issues are on our side. We did our job at NRSC, we explained exactly who the Democrats were, we did the first day I started in this job, and we&#8217;ve done it all along. So I don&#8217;t think we have that risk, I think we&#8217;re going to win.
CHUCK TODD: All right. Let&#8217;s assume you&#8217;ve got the majority. I&#8217;m going to take you at your word. You&#8217;re going to get the House, you&#8217;re going to get the Senate. What&#8217;s the first bill a Republican Congress sends to the president&#8217;s desk that you actually think he would sign?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I think the issue is we&#8217;ve got to deal with inflation, so we&#8217;ve got to figure out how to spend our money wisely so we don&#8217;t continue this inflation. I think we&#8217;ve got to do whatever we can to get this crime rate down. So I think we have to look at that. We&#8217;ve got to secure the border. I think we&#8217;ve got to get rid of the 87 IRS agents – 87,000 new IRS agents. So I think we have to address the issues that people are worried about right now, and they&#8217;re worried about those issues, the fentanyl. So I think that&#8217;s what we need to focus on. So we&#8217;ve got to make sure our military is focused on being lethal, not woke. So I think those are the things that we have to focus on.
CHUCK TODD: Well, let me ask you, inflation, you saw that&#8217;s the biggest – that’s the number one issue people are dissatisfied with this economy. What&#8217;s the first bill you guys can pass that you think can impact inflation?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I think the thing we have to work on – on inflation, it&#8217;s all tied to reckless government spending. We&#8217;ve got to get our budget in control, we&#8217;ve got to figure out how we&#8217;re going to balance the budget. So that&#8217;s the first thing we have to do. We have to get –
CHUCK TODD: It doesn&#8217;t really sound like — I don&#8217;t mean to –
SEN. RICK SCOTT: We have to get our spending under control.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I did as governor, I balanced the budget for eight years, we’ve got to keep doing it.
CHUCK TODD: All the experts – Yeah, all the experts say legal immigration&#8217;s the number one thing we need to deal with in Congress in order to deal with inflation. Everything else is on the Fed, but that&#8217;s the number one issue. Are you guys going to deal with that?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Yeah. I hope we deal with first securing the border, figure out how we have legal immigration where people who want to live our dream can come in here. But I think, let&#8217;s go back: We have got to figure out how to spend our money better. We&#8217;ve got to figure out, how do we get to a balanced budget and preserve the programs we care about? That&#8217;s what we have to do. If we don&#8217;t, we&#8217;ll never get inflation under control.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you, you&#8217;ve been asked a million different ways about Social Security, you know the Democrats want to bring this issue up. Sunsetting the program every five years for renewal, why do that? Why put Social Security into, sort of, the political arena every five years? Why put seniors through that? Why do you think that&#8217;s a good idea?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I have no interest in changing the Medicare program. I want to make sure we preserve the benefits of Medicare and Social Security, and I don&#8217;t know one Republican that wants to change that. In my plan, I said we have got to start being honest with the public that, “What&#8217;s our plan?” Medicare is going bankrupt, Social Security is going bankrupt. Here&#8217;s what the Democrats did: they just cut $280 billion, every Democrat that&#8217;s running right now in the Senate, okay? And those in the House. They all voted to cut $280 billion out of Medicare, which is going to cut life-saving drugs. They did this. Joe Biden proposed doing this in the Senate, and –
CHUCK TODD: You know, you&#8217;re playing a math game.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: And, on top of that, he didn’t pay his taxes. Say it again?
CHUCK TODD: You are playing a math game there, Senator. Senator, you&#8217;re playing a math game here. You&#8217;re playing a math game. They didn&#8217;t cut anything on Medicare. It&#8217;s cost savings having to do with the prescription drug benefit. Look, I understand that you want to call it something else. But they didn’t cut Medicare.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Chuck, if you cut spending in Medicare, it&#8217;s probably going to impact the ability for somebody to provide things. When you cut out $280 billion –
CHUCK TODD: I will remember that, when you guys argue that a Medicare cut –
SEN. RICK SCOTT: –there&#8217;s a lifesaving drug that your mom will not get. That’s what’s going to happen.
CHUCK TODD: All right. I will remember this when you guys claim a Medicare cut isn’t a cut.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Chuck, it’s $280 billion of spending – $280 billion out of the Medicare reduction is going to cut life-saving drugs. That&#8217;s bad for citizens, it&#8217;s real simple.
CHUCK TODD: All right, I want to ask you something that Marjorie Taylor Greene said at a Trump rally four days ago, take a listen.
[START TAPE]
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: Under Republicans, not another penny will go to Ukraine.
[END TAPE]
CHUCK TODD: Senator, is she right?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I think we have to continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine, who wants to defend their freedom and stop Russia from continuing to expand. I don&#8217;t want to end up in a war with Russia. If we don&#8217;t stop – if we don’t continue to help Ukraine the right way, we can&#8217;t waste our dollars, then they&#8217;re going to be in Poland, or some other country where we will be at war because they&#8217;re part of our NATO alliance. So I want to figure out, how do we make sure that Ukraine can defend their freedom and we stop Russia?
CHUCK TODD: A couple of quick questions about your future. If Republicans gain the Senate majority do you plan to run for leader?
SEN. RICK SCOTT:
I&#8217;m not focused on anything except getting a majority Tuesday night. Everybody wants to ask me about a bunch of things that are going to happen after Tuesday night.
CHUCK TODD: That&#8217;s a non-answer. That&#8217;s a non-answer.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: My whole focus is Tuesday night.
CHUCK TODD: So leave it out there, it’s a possibility?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I&#8217;m going to focus on Tuesday night.
CHUCK TODD: It&#8217;s a possibility. All right.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: I&#8217;m focused on what I get done Tuesday night.
CHUCK TODD: Former President Trump has hinted he may announce in eight days. If he&#8217;s an active candidate for president, are you supporting him?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: There&#8217;s going to be a lot of people who will probably announce. We&#8217;ll watch what happens. I&#8217;m focused on getting a majority in the Senate.
CHUCK TODD: And before I let you go, are you going to accept the results of all the Senate elections on Tuesday night?
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Absolutely. But what we&#8217;re also going to do is do everything we can to make sure to everybody they&#8217;re free and fair, and if there&#8217;s any shenanigans, we are ready to make sure – we make sure we support our candidates to make sure that these elections are fair and every ballot is counted the right way.
CHUCK TODD: But it sounds like you&#8217;re pretty confident that everything is going to be on the up-and-up, doesn&#8217;t it?
SEN. RICK SCOTT:
We’re going to try – we&#8217;re going to try our best. I’m so disappointed the Democrats don&#8217;t want to have voter ID, you have it for everything else. We shouldn&#8217;t have ballot harvesting, but I&#8217;m going to do everything I can to make sure this election is free and fair, and we&#8217;ve got to keep improving our election laws every year that we can.
CHUCK TODD: Senator Rick Scott, Republican from Florida, head of the NRSC.
SEN. RICK SCOTT: Happy birthday.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-our-year-as-midterms-approach-top-republican-bullish-on-gops-senate-prospects">‘This Is Our Year’: As Midterms Approach, Top Republican Bullish On GOP’s Senate Prospects</a>

Republican Senators Discuss Opposition To “For The People Act”

Top Republican Senator Makes Prediction About GOP Gains In Midterm Elections

2022 Election

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-energy-is-on-our-side-rick-scott-says-republicans-could-have-up-to-55-senate-seats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Scott</a> said that the GOP would have at least 52 Senate seats after the 2022 midterms.
Appearing on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/10/30/scott-full.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the Union</a>&#8221; Sunday, Scott predicted that Republicans would hold all of the U.S. Senate seats currently held by the GOP and flip both Georgia and Nevada. Scott also said Republicans have an opportunity to flip up to five more seats in contested Senate races around the country.
&#8220;So which battleground states do you think Republicans will win on Election Day?&#8221; host Dana Bash asked. &#8220;How many Senate seats will the GOP control next year?&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to get 52-plus,&#8221; Scott responded. &#8220;Herschel Walker will win Georgia. We&#8217;re going to keep all 21 of ours. Oz is going to win against Fetterman in Pennsylvania. And Adam Laxalt will win in Nevada. But I think we have every reason to believe we can pick up with Blake Masters in Arizona, with Don Bolduc [in New Hampshire]. I will be going to New Hampshire today. I think Don Bolduc has every reason to believe he&#8217;s going to win. But we have got shots in &#8212; with Tiffany Smiley in Washington, Joe O&#8217;Dea in Colorado, Leora Levy in Connecticut.&#8221;
&#8220;This is our year,&#8221; Scott added. &#8220;The Democrats can&#8217;t run on anything they have done. People don&#8217;t like what they have done. They don&#8217;t like high inflation. They don&#8217;t like gas prices, food prices up. They don&#8217;t like an&#8230; open border. They don&#8217;t like high crime. And that&#8217;s what the Democrats are known for. I mean, they have done all these things. Democrats did it.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/senate/ga/georgia-senate-walker-vs-warnock-7329.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Walker</a> and <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/senate/nv/nevada_senate_laxalt_vs_cortez_masto-7392.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laxalt</a> are leading in their respective races, according to the RCP average of polls. In Pennsylvania, a survey from InsiderAdvantage showed <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/docs/2022/InsiderAdvantage_Penn_Oct_27_2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oz</a> with a 2.7-point lead over Democrat John Fetterman.
In Arizona, a poll from the Data for Progress showed <a href="https://www.filesforprogress.org/datasets/2022/10/dfp_az_midterm_tabs.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Masters</a> tied with incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly.
A poll from InsiderAdvantage and American Greatness showed <a href="https://amgreatness.com/2022/10/24/republican-don-bolduc-in-dead-heat-with-democrat-maggie-hassan-in-new-hampshire-u-s-senate-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bolduc</a> just 1 point behind incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire.
In Washington, a poll from the Trafalgar Group showed <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/news/wa-sen-1029/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smiley</a> trailing incumbent Democrat Patty Murray by just 1.2 points.
<a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/senate/co/colorado_senate_odea_vs_bennet-7773.html#polls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O&#8217;Dea</a> lags incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet in recent polling in Colorado, while in Connecticut, <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/senate/ct/connecticut_senate_levy_vs_blumenthal-7686.html#polls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Levy</a> trails Richard Blumenthal by double digits.
While Scott is bullish on the GOP&#8217;s chances to take the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-warns-biden-on-hot-mic-that-democrats-are-vulnerable-in-key-state-were-in-danger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chuck Schumer</a> (D-NY) recently sounded the alarm about his party&#8217;s chances on a hot mic with President Joe Biden.
“That seat, we’re in danger in that seat,” Schumer told Biden. “It’s close. We’ll see.”
It was not immediately clear what seat he was referring to. However, Schumer added that Democrats are in trouble in Georgia.
“The state where we are seeing, the state we are going downhill is Georgia,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It’s hard to believe that they will go for Herschel Walker.”

Republican Senators Speak On The Economy

‘This Is Our Year’: As Midterms Approach, Top Republican Bullish On GOP’s Senate Prospects

As Midterms Approach, Top Republican Bullish On GOP's Senate Prospects

State of the Union

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is investing a million dollars in an effort to boost <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-hampshire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Hampshire</a> Republican Don Bolduc.
The Republican Party&#8217;s Senate campaign arm committed the new round of ad spending to help Bolduc in the final days before the 2022 midterms, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/25/new-hampshire-senate-republicans-bolduc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios</a> reported Tuesday. The party announced the ad buy following new polling showing Bolduc within the margin of error against Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan. The investment also comes after the Senate Leadership Fund pulled nearly $6 million out of the race last week.
“Our polling, along with recent public polling, shows that this race is in the margin of error and winnable,&#8221; NRSC Chairman, Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) said in a statement to Axios. &#8220;The NRSC is proud to stand with General Bolduc. We’re going to win this race so Don Bolduc can bring real leadership back to this Senate seat.&#8221;
The new funding comes after two recent polls showed Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general, is well within the margin of error against Hassan. A poll conducted by <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/bolduc-gains-on-hassan-in-us-senate-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emerson College</a> and local TV station WHDH 7 News showed Bolduc trailing Hassan by just three points, 48%-45%, within the poll&#8217;s margin of error; 4% of voters were undecided. Another poll from <a href="https://amgreatness.com/2022/10/24/republican-don-bolduc-in-dead-heat-with-democrat-maggie-hassan-in-new-hampshire-u-s-senate-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">InsiderAdvantage and American Greatness</a> showed that Hassan&#8217;s lead had shrunk down to just half a point, 47.6%-47.1%; 2.9% were undecided.
The NRSC appears to be stepping in to fill the gap left by the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Last week, SLF announced that it was pulling $5.6 million in ad spending it had reserved for the state. “As the cycle comes to a close, we are shifting resources to where they can be most effective to achieve our ultimate goal: winning the majority,” SLF president Steven Law said in a statement, via <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/us/politics/nh-gop-ads-bolduc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
The NRSC previously pulled out of New Hampshire earlier this month, but the committee noted that it was because of outside spending. &#8220;We’re glad to see Republican outside forces showing up in a big way in New Hampshire, with millions in spending pledged to take down Maggie Hassan in the final stretch.” NRSC spokesman Chris Hartline told the NYT in a statement. NYT reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaneGoldmacher/status/1578484697801560064" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Goldmacher</a> wrote on Twitter that the committee was moving its money toward other states where the GOP was being outspent.
At a campaign event for North Carolina Senate candidate Ted Budd last week, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-energy-is-on-our-side-rick-scott-says-republicans-could-have-up-to-55-senate-seats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott</a> expressed optimism that Bolduc could pull off the upset. Speaking to reporters after the event, Scott said “there’s a poll out showing Bolduc down two,” though he did not name a specific poll. “Hassan’s numbers have been horrible as far as her approval,” Scott added. Behind candidates like Bolduc, Budd, and other underdogs like Blake Masters in Arizona, Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania, Tiffany Smiley in Washington state, and Joe O&#8217;Dea in Colorado, Scott said that Republicans could hold as many as 55 Senate seats after the midterms.
Earlier this month, Bolduc announced he would be campaigning with former Hawaii Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-to-campaign-for-republican-senate-candidate-after-leaving-democratic-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tulsi Gabbard</a>, just days after Gabbard announced she was leaving the Democratic Party.
“Tulsi is a fellow change agent and independent-minded outsider willing to speak truth to power,&#8221; Bolduc said. &#8220;I am going to spend every day between now and Election Day building a wide coalition of supporters that includes Republicans, independents and even disaffected Democrats who know that Senator Hassan is a career politician and must be retired.&#8221;

Republican Don Bolduc Campaigns For New Hampshire Senator

Republicans Commit $1 Million To Boost Senate Candidate Don Bolduc In New Hampshire’s Razor-Thin Race

Republicans Commit $1 Million To NH Senate Candidate Don Bolduc, As Polls Show Him On The Verge Of An Upset Against Incumbent Dem

New Hampshire

Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rick-scott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Scott</a> (R-FL) said that Republicans have a path to as many as 55 seats in the Senate.
At a get-out-the-vote rally with North Carolina congressman and Senate candidate Ted Budd, Scott expressed his bullish outlook on Republicans&#8217; chances to take back the Senate in the 2022 midterms. Scott said that the energy is on the side of the GOP because Americans are weary of the Biden administration after two years. He also cited a number of polls showing that Republican candidates are within striking distance in many key states.
“It starts right here, we’re going to get 52 Republican senators, we have to win here,” Scott said about Budd&#8217;s race, via <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3697862-rick-scott-senate-republicans-have-path-to-55-seat-majority/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a>. “I think we can get 53, 54, 55.&#8221;
“The energy is on our side,&#8221; he added. &#8220;People are fed up with the Biden agenda.”
In an interview with The Hill shortly after the event, Scott pointed to several races where Republicans are either leading or closely behind their Democratic rivals. “If you look at the weekly polls and do we lot of polls, every week is getting better,” he said.
First, Scott pointed to the races in Wisconsin and Nevada, where the GOP is up consistently. In Wisconsin, incumbent Senator Ron Johnson is leading in the race against Democratic lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes. A poll from <a href="https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2022/10/12/new-marquette-law-school-poll-survey-of-wisconsin-voters-finds-johnson-leading-barnes-in-senate-race-evers-and-michels-in-a-gubernatorial-toss-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marquette University</a> shows Johnson with a six-point lead over Barnes. In Nevada, former attorney general Adam Laxalt has held a consistent lead since early September against incumbent Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. A <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nevada-senate-poll-cortez-masto-laxalt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News/YouGov</a> poll from this week showed Laxalt ahead by 1.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ArBOzBgA0k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ELECTION WIRE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND POLLING ON THE UPCOMING MIDTERMS</a>
“Then you look at here, Ted’s been consistently up,” Scott said of Budd, who has also led against former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley since the race began, according to <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/senate/nc/north_carolina_senate_budd_vs_beasley-7588.html#polls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a>. “That keeps us at 50-50.”
“Then you look at Herschel Walker, you look at all the polls, Herschel’s up three,” he said, though he did not specify which poll showed that result. “Georgia, we’ll pick that one up.” Walker led incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock in several polls in early September, but has since dipped in the polls after the left-wing Daily Beast published an article claiming that Walker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/herschel-walker-responds-to-report-he-paid-for-womans-abortion-flat-out-lie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paid for a woman to have an abortion</a>. But the latest poll, from <a href="https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2022/10/18/brian-kemp-continues-leading-stacey-abrams-us-senate-race-tied-new-landmark-poll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Landmark Communications</a>, shows Walker and Warnock tied.
In Arizona, Scott said the GOP has &#8220;defined&#8221; incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly, and Republican “Blake [Masters] is barely behind.” An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hold-exclusive-poll-kari-lake-in-lead-for-arizona-gov-masters-trails-kelly-by-one-point-for-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive poll</a> conducted by The Daily Wire and The Trafalgar Group showed Masters trailing Kelly by just one point.
In New Hampshire, Scott said “there’s a poll out showing [GOP challenger Don] Bolduc down two,” though once again, he did not name a specific poll. A poll from the end of September, conducted by Trafalgar, showed Bolduc trailing incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan by <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TRF-NH-General-1004-Poll-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just three points</a>. “Hassan’s numbers have been horrible as far as her approval,” Scott said, indicating that Bolduc may be able to pull off an upset.
Scott also pointed to Colorado and Washington as states where Republicans could pull off a surprising upset. “Joe O’Dea’s barely behind, Tiffany Smiley is down two,” he said. Colorado GOP candidate Joe O&#8217;Dea is struggling against incumbent Michael Bennet; the closest poll shows Bennet with a <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TRF-CO-General-0823-Poll-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five-point lead</a>. Washington Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley, however, is in much better shape — a Trafalgar poll from September showed incumbent Patty Murray leading Smiley by just <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/WA-General-Poll-Report-0926.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two points</a>.
“I’m optimistic it’s going to be a good night and we have good candidates, they’re running good races. There’s a lot of energy,” he said.

‘The Energy Is On Our Side’: Rick Scott Says Republicans Could Have Up To 55 Senate Seats

Sen. Rick Scott Says Republicans Could Have Up To 55 Senate Seats

President Joe Biden said Monday that Republicans who voted against banning assault rifles are not on the side of police in America.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhWp1nE7PO0">Speaking virtually</a> to attendees at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives conference in Orlando, Florida, Biden said that Republicans who refused to ban so-called &#8220;weapons of war&#8221; are not telling the truth when they claim to support law enforcement. In particular, Biden called out Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott (R-FL) for refusing to support Democrats&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gun-control">gun control</a> efforts.
“Being a cop today is a hell of a lot harder than it’s ever been,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Biden</a> said during his speech. &#8220;We expect everything of you. We expect you to be drug counselors to people overdosing at a scene; therapists to couples during a violent confrontation; social workers to kids who have been abandoned. Maybe worst of all, we send you out to do your job on the streets flooded with weapons of war.&#8221;
“You hear a lot of politicians say about how much they love you, how much they care about you, they’ll do anything for you,&#8221; Biden continued. &#8220;In the state you’re in today, Governor [Ron] DeSantis, Sen. [Marco] Rubio, Sen. Rick Scott all opposed banning assault weapons, and Senators Scott and Rubio voted against the bipartisan gun safety law that I signed, the first meaningful gun legislation in nearly thirty years, that you supported. To me, it’s simple. If you can’t support banning weapons of war on American streets, you’re not on the side of police.”
Biden also credited NOBLE for backing his efforts to pass the 1994 assault weapons ban. &#8220;I&#8217;m determined to do it again,&#8221; Biden said of renewed efforts to ban assault weapons. “On the ballot this year will be whether or not this nation bans assault weapons.” Biden then repeated the line that, while he owns guns and &#8220;believe[s] in the Second Amendment,&#8221; the right to keep and bear arms &#8220;[is] not a right that is absolute.&#8221;
&#8220;When it comes to assault weapons, too many politicians are bowing down to the NRA. I believe that we should protect you, protect you.&#8221; Biden then repeated the claim that he supports more funding for police. &#8220;And I&#8217;ll keep saying it: when it comes to public safety, the answer isn&#8217;t to defund the police, the answer is to fund the police, fund the police.&#8221;
Biden closed his speech by invoking January 6, claiming that police officers were &#8220;speared, sprayed, stomped on, brutalized&#8221; and &#8220;dripping with blood, surrounded by carnage.&#8221; Biden attacked former President Donald Trump, saying that Trump could not claim to support law enforcement because of January 6, and insinuating that law enforcement officers shouldn&#8217;t support Trump. &#8220;You can&#8217;t be pro-insurrection and pro-cop,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t be pro-insurrection and pro-democracy. You can&#8217;t be pro-insurrection and pro-America.&#8221;
Last month, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-most-expansive-gun-control-bill-in-decades-into-law-following-republican-support">signed</a> the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act&#8221; into law. The law was considered the most expansive gun control legislation passed in decades, as the Daily Wire reported. A White House statement said at the time that the law “enhances certain restrictions and penalties on firearms purchases; promotes evidence-based best practices for school safety; authorizes grants to expand access to mental health services; and appropriates emergency funding for mental health resources and school safety measures.”

Joe Biden

Biden: If You Don’t Support Banning Assault Weapons, ‘You’re Not On The Side Of Police’

Biden: 'You're Not On The Side Of Police' If You Don't Support Banning Assault Weapons

Gun Control

Marco Rubio

Police

Ron DeSantis

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) describes in a single word what&#8217;s coming for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections: Bloodbath.
Scott says inflation will be the key issue in the November elections. &#8220;This is hurting so many people in my state, so I think this is going to be a bloodbath for the Democrats this year,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;This is not going to be about ‘24. It’s going to be about &#8217;22,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It’s going to be about three issues: inflation, are my kids getting a good education, living in a safe community, and the Democrats are on the wrong side of those issues.&#8221;
The senator, who serves as the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sen-rick-scott-predicts-bloodbath-dems-midterms-issues-inflation-focus-not-trump">said</a> Republicans should retake control of the Senate during an appearance on Fox News. &#8220;We are going to have a great year,&#8221; he said, predicting Republicans could pick up six Senate seats this fall.
When host Shannon Bream cited a recent MSNBC opinion piece that claimed the GOP has no plan to tackle inflation, Scott noted he has posted a plan online at <a href="https://rescueamerica.com/">rescueamerica.com</a>. Scott lays out a 12-point plan:
<blockquote>1. Education 
2. Color Blind Equality 
3. Safety and Crime 
4. Immigration 
5. Economy / Growth 
6. Government Reform &amp; Debt 
7. Fair, Fraud-Free Elections 
8. Family 
9. Gender, Life, Science 
10. Religious Liberty / Big Tech 
11. America First 
12. Cutting Taxes</blockquote>
&#8220;We have to balance the budget. This is caused by reckless spending,&#8221; Scott said. &#8220;Every proposal Democrats have is spend your money, spend more money. We’ve got to reduce taxes, reduce fees, reduce the size of government. We’ve got to become energy independent, don’t go over to Saudi Arabia and beg them for fuel, go to Texas and ask them to get more fuel. Fix the supply chain. The Biden administration is a bunch of do-nothing people, that all they do is blame.&#8221;
Scott also said Congress has to stop overspending. Lawmakers spent trillions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some economists say that has helped spur rising inflation. &#8220;It&#8217;s way too high. Stop spending money,&#8221; he said.
With Americans hurting, Scott also said taxes need to be cut and criticized President Joe Biden for not pushing a tax-cut package.
&#8220;Every proposal he has is to raise everybody&#8217;s taxes,&#8221; Scott said. &#8220;Their idea for how to reduce premiums for somebody – it’s not to create a better delivery system of healthcare, no, it’s to raise your taxes.&#8221;
The senator also blamed Democrats and Biden for record-high prices at the pump. &#8220;Why is gas up so much? It’s because Biden and the Democrats, they have an agenda to get rid of fossil fuel. That’s horrible for this country, we should be energy independent,&#8221; he said.
And he said in the run-up to the November elections, Democrats will &#8220;have to go home and explain why they voted to cause gas prices to go up.&#8221;
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

GOP Senator: Midterms Will Be ‘Bloodbath’ For Democrats

GOP Senator Rick Scott: Midterms Will Be 'Bloodbath' For Democrats

Inflation

One GOP senator has released a new television ad attacking President Joe Biden as &#8220;unfit for office&#8221; and calling for his resignation.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott shared the new ad on Monday as part of his &#8220;Rescue America&#8221; plan.
&#8220;Joe Biden has destroyed America’s economy,&#8221; Scott <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rick-scott-biden-destroyed-americas-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> in the ad. &#8220;It’s time to be honest with the American people. Joe Biden is unfit for office and should resign.&#8221;
The ad is funded through Scott&#8217;s Senate re-election committee, Rick Scott for Florida.
In a <a href="https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2022/6/sen-rick-scott-joe-biden-has-heartlessly-turned-his-back-on-americans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> last week, Scott blasted Biden for &#8220;failing&#8221; Americans.
“Joe Biden is failing Americans. He created a crisis that is devastating families livelihoods and is now turning his back on Americans when they need his leadership the most,&#8221; Scott said in the statement.
&#8220;Biden is totally disconnected from the pain his policies have caused, and he has NO PLAN to curb his self-made inflation disaster. Sadly, I think it’s now clear that ‘Rich-Kid-Biden’ is just too hopelessly out of touch and heartless to ever care enough to fix it,&#8221; he added.
Scott continued with searing words against the president as being out of touch with the daily lives of most Americans, noting Biden&#8217;s five decades as an elected official.
&#8220;Think about it: Joe Biden has never struggled financially, spent half a century living on the taxpayers’ dime and has no interest in understanding what it’s like for Americans who are hurting right now. The problem isn&#8217;t that he grew up with money, it&#8217;s that he doesn&#8217;t care about people who didn&#8217;t,&#8221; the senator wrote.
Scott also criticized Biden&#8217;s failures to address soaring inflation and record gas prices during his time in office.
&#8220;Inflation was 1.4% the day he took office. Gas was $2.39 per gallon. Now we are seeing inflation at a 40-year record high and gas is so expensive families, especially our poorest families like mine growing up, are having to make choices between fuel in the tank or food on the table,&#8221; he wrote.
&#8220;Joe Biden and his failed administration have been wrong on inflation every step of the way and Americans are sick and tired of paying the price for his incompetence,&#8221; Scott concluded.
The strong attacks followed last week&#8217;s release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> a year-over-year inflation increase of 8.6%, the highest in 40 years.
Scott also took to Twitter over the weekend to slam Biden&#8217;s attempt to redirect blame for record gas prices.
&#8220;@JoeBiden seems to forget that his socialist Green New Deal policies &amp; war on American energy have caused gas prices to skyrocket since the day he took office,&#8221; the senator wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> seems to forget that his socialist Green New Deal policies &amp; war on American energy have caused gas prices to skyrocket since the day he took office. 
Blame-Game Biden can point fingers all he wants, but the American people know he’s the problem. <a href="https://t.co/asr3dmyV2v">https://t.co/asr3dmyV2v</a>
&mdash; Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1535774601132883968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Blame-Game Biden can point fingers all he wants, but the American people know he’s the problem,&#8221; Scott added.

GOP Senator Airs Television Ad Claiming Biden ‘Unfit For Office’

GOP Senator Rick Scott Airs Television Ad Claiming Biden 'Unfit For Office'

Gas Prices

National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, Florida Senator Rick Scott, said that Biden&#8217;s reluctance to act on major issues would benefit Republicans in the 2022 midterms.
Speaking on CBS&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/sen-rick-scott-says-gop-will-focus-on-inflation-in-midterm-elections/">Face the Nation</a>&#8221; with host Margaret Brennan, Scott responded to a CBS <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-economic-concerns-grow-opinion-poll-2022-05-22/">poll</a> that found 65% of Americans believe Biden has been &#8220;slow to react&#8221; to multiple crises like inflation, illegal immigration, soaring gas prices, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
&#8220;I think those numbers are consistent with what we&#8217;ve seen, that inflation is still the number one issue in the country and the president is slow to react, whether it&#8217;s the border, whether it&#8217;s inflation, whether it&#8217;s gas prices, even Ukraine,&#8221; Scott told Brennan. &#8220;I think the expectation is that whoever the president is gets ahead of the problems rather than behind the problem. So I think the election this fall is going to be about inflation. It&#8217;s going to be about the effectiveness of the Biden administration. And I think it bodes well for Republicans.&#8221;
Brennan challenged Scott, citing the CBS poll, which showed Republicans with just a 2-point advantage in trust to handle inflation.
Scott responded by pointing out steps Republicans would take to bring down costs.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to balance the budget. We&#8217;re going to start watching the dollars very closely. We&#8217;re going to watch our spending. We are going to, you know, expect the Federal Reserve to reduce their balance sheet,&#8221; Scott said.
Brennan then pivoted toward questions about election integrity, claiming that &#8220;many&#8221; Republican candidates are talking about &#8220;relitigating the 2020 election.&#8221;
Scott dismissed those allegations, instead pointing out that voters are more concerned that elections are conducted fairly and that their votes are not diluted.
&#8220;As I go around the country and talk to people, what they&#8217;re hoping is that Republicans will make sure that&#8211; there&#8217;s voter I.D., there&#8217;s no ballot harvesting, signatures have to match. And that&#8217;s what when I talk to people, that&#8217;s what they care about.&#8221;
Asked by Brennan about the push to gradually end imports from China in Scott&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://rescueamerica.com/steps/6-government-reform-debt/">Rescue America</a>&#8221; plan, Scott also stressed the need to decouple from China.
&#8220;Well, I think what we&#8217;ve got to do is we&#8217;ve got- we&#8217;ve got to figure out how to decouple from China, and it&#8217;s going to take a while to do that,&#8221; Scott said. &#8220;But if you look at what they want to do, they&#8217;re sending fentanyl in this country. We had over 100,000 people die of drug overdose last year. They never comply with any trade agreements, they&#8217;ve never complied with the [World Trade Organization]. So, what we&#8217;ve got to do is we got to start building American jobs. We&#8217;ve got to get American manufacturing back. And when we do that one, our wages will go up, we&#8217;ll have more jobs in this country. People want to buy American products and there&#8217;s other countries to do business with.&#8221;
Brennan also asked about Scott&#8217;s plan to review all federal legislation after five years, including Medicare and Social Security spending. Scott defended his plan, saying that the federal government needs to be transparent with the American people and reign in the costs of the programs, as Medicare is projected to become insolvent in <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/12/democrats-aim-to-expand-medicare-despite-looming-trust-fund-insolvency.html">2026</a> and Social Security in <a href="https://www.heritage.org/social-security/report/social-security-39-billion-deficit-2014-insolvent-2035">2035</a>.
&#8220;We have got to be honest with the American people and come up with solutions,&#8221; said Scott. &#8220;I believe in those programs and people rely on those programs.&#8221;
&#8220;We ought to be honest with the American people,&#8221; Scott added. &#8220;Here&#8217;s the things we&#8217;re going to do to make sure you get your Medicare, make sure you get your Social Security. So I will never raise a tax. I cut taxes more than 100 times, but I&#8217;m going to make sure we fix and make sure these Medicare programs and Social Security work.&#8221;

Rick Scott: Midterms Are All About Inflation, Biden Is ‘Slow To React’, ‘Behind The Problem’

Rick Scott: Midterms Are All About Inflation

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