The federal government made nearly a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/money" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quarter of a trillion dollars</a> in &#8220;improper payments&#8221; in the last fiscal year, a congressional watchdog agency estimated.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106927.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> unveiled last week said 14 agencies reported a total of $236 billion in botched payments in fiscal 2023.
Here, &#8220;improper payments&#8221; were defined as &#8220;those that should not have been made or were made in the incorrect amount.&#8221;
GAO said agencies reported that $175 billion, or over 74% of the total, were attributed to overpayments.
The total represented an $11 billion decrease from fiscal 2022, but GAO demonstrated in a graphs how &#8220;improper payments&#8221; have, on average, risen over the past 20 years.
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The federal government has made an estimated $2.7 trillion in improper payments in the last 20 fiscal years—including $236 billion in FY23.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report on what is causing these errors &amp; what can be done to prevent them: <a href="https://t.co/tbSrZG882J">https://t.co/tbSrZG882J</a> <a href="https://t.co/axpRrhNNtr">pic.twitter.com/axpRrhNNtr</a>
&mdash; U.S. GAO (@USGAO) <a href="https://twitter.com/USGAO/status/1772685603185815899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Since fiscal 2003, the cumulative amount has totaled $2.7 trillion. GAO said improper payments have &#8220;consistently&#8221; been an issue across the government.
The $236 billion figure for fiscal 2023 is just an estimate, GAO cautioned, and it does not include some programs that agencies have determined to be &#8220;susceptible&#8221; to mismanaged payments.
GAO listed the Health and Human Services Department&#8217;s Temporary Assistance for Need Families program as an example.
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An analysis found that problematic expenditures were &#8220;concentrated&#8221; in five program areas, including $51.1 billion for Medicare and $50.3 billion for Medicaid.
There was also $43.6 billion for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, $21.9 billion for Earned Income Tax Credit, and $18.7 billion for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness.
All other programs from which there was data accounted for $50.1 billion in &#8220;improper payments.&#8221;
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) commented on the topline $236 billion estimate for fiscal 2023 by taking a swipe at the Biden administration.
&#8220;We need accountability here! This is YOUR money the Biden admin took out of your wallet and wasted,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1774172902755123374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X.
GAO said it provided a draft of its report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment, but &#8220;OMB did not have any comments on the report.&#8221;
In fiscal 2022, 14 of 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 &#8220;complied with applicable improper payment criteria, as reported by their agency inspectors general,&#8221; GAO said.
That number marked an increase from 2021, when GAO said inspectors general reported 10 agencies were compliant.
GAO <a href="https://www.gao.gov/blog/federal-government-made-236-billion-improper-payments-last-fiscal-year?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=blogsm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it has made &#8220;numerous&#8221; recommendations and suggestions to Congress on ways to reduce payment errors.

US dollars banknotes

Federal Agencies Made $236 Billion In ‘Improper Payments’ In Fiscal 2023, GAO Finds

Federal Agencies Made $236 Billion In 'Improper Payments' In Fiscal 2023, GAO Finds

Biden Administration

General

Inspector general

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Rick Scott

U.S.

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marjorie-taylor-greene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a> (R-GA) said on Wednesday that she plans to introduce legislation that would make it easier to combat <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/swatting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;swatting&#8221;</a> incidents that have impacted her and many others across the country.
The announcement came as Greene, also known as &#8220;MTG,&#8221; and other elected officials were targeted this holiday season by calls to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/law-enforcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law enforcement</a> involving fake reports of an emergency.
&#8220;The dangerous swatting harassment continues, as tonight, one of my family members was swatted at their house,&#8221; Greene <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1740193293965902021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a post</a> to X. &#8220;I will be introducing legislation to make it much easier for law enforcement to arrest and prosecutors to prosecute these criminals.&#8221;
Swatting incidents can already lead to <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47557#_Toc135223786" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charges</a>, but they have become increasingly commonplace with the <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/the-crime-of-swatting-fake-9-1-1-calls-have-real-consequences1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rise of technology</a> that makes it easier to trick people. <a href="https://www.13abc.com/2023/12/28/multiple-schools-hospitals-synagogues-targeting-swatting-hoaxes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schools, religious institutions</a>, hospitals, online gamers, and public figures are among the many targets of the hoax calls. In <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/la-man-arrested-swatting-incident-led-police-killing/story?id=52057251" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/14/us/swatting-sentence-casey-viner/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cases</a>, the result can be deadly. The FBI has formed a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-creates-national-database-track-swatting/story?id=100527427" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national database</a> to help track swatting.
This week, multiple elected officials reportedly became victims of swatting calls, including <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/12/26/boston-mayor-michelle-wus-home-swatted-on-christmas-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/second-house-republican-gets-swatted-on-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY)</a>, and <a href="https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/crime/2023/12/28/rick-scott-reports-swatting-attempt-at-florida-home-what-is-swatting/72046922007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)</a>.
&#8220;Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards &#8216;swatted&#8217; my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time &amp; resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family,&#8221; Scott said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1740355797190934542" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post to X</a> on Thursday. The senator also said he and his wife Ann wanted to thank local law enforcement &#8220;for all they do to keep us safe.&#8221;
In a post to X on Monday, Greene announced that she had just been <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1739312209996497293" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;swatted&#8221; for &#8220;like the 8th time&#8221;</a> while celebrating the Christmas holiday with her family.
Police in Rome, Georgia, said someone in Rome, New York, called the suicide hotline claiming to have shot his girlfriend at Greene&#8217;s address and warning he would kill himself next, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/police-confirm-christmas-swatting-incident-marjorie-taylor-greenes-hou-rcna131131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>. A Rome police spokesperson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-not-the-first-incident-marjorie-taylor-greene-swatted-at-her-home-on-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said her department</a> called Greene&#8217;s security team and a police response to the congresswoman&#8217;s home was cancelled at their behest.
“My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this,” Greene <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1739312209996497293" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> in her post to X. “I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene

MTG Vows To Introduce Legislation To Crack Down On ‘Swatting’

MTG Vows To Introduce Legislation To Crack Down On 'Swatting'

Congress

Crime

Law Enforcement

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Swatting

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott endorsed former President Donald Trump’s re-election bid on Thursday, adding to Trump’s support from the Sunshine State’s congressional delegation. 
Scott made the endorsement in a Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/rick-scott-its-time-unite-behind-donald-trump-opinion-1840060" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a>, where he called on Republicans to unite behind Trump to defeat President Joe Biden. The Florida senator, who has <a href="https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/11/02/senator-rick-scott-backs-donald-trump-over-florida-gov-ron-desantis/71420992007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> refrained from primary endorsements in the past, touted Trump’s accomplishments in his first term and blasted Biden’s failures. 
“I am optimistic that we can return America to its rightful position of economic and military strength and the undisputed moral leader of the free world, but only with strong leadership in the White House,” Scott wrote. “That is why I support my friend President Donald J. Trump to be the 47th president of the United States and encourage every Republican to unite behind his efforts to win back the White House.”
“It&#8217;s time for the Republican Party to come together, behind one candidate, and declare with one voice that we are united in our efforts to defeat Joe Biden and rescue America,” he added. 
Scott said that the country was &#8220;safer and more prosperous” while Trump was in office, citing the economy, energy independence, and the 45th president’s tough stance against China and adversarial leaders across the world. 
The Florida senator also praised Trump’s support for Israel during his term, saying he did “more for Israel than any other president in our history” and ushered in a period of peace in the Middle East. The current administration, according to Scott, is doing everything in its power to reverse Trump’s successes. 
Scott, who served as Florida’s governor until 2019, when he became senator, said he and Trump had a strong relationship during Trump&#8217;s first term, working “hand in hand” to improve Florida. He added that they “accomplished a lot together” and must do the same in 2024 to reverse Biden’s policies. 
“Here&#8217;s the honest truth. It&#8217;s not morning in America today. It&#8217;s midnight in America,” Scott said. “In my view there is one person running who has the strength to bring America back, who is well-positioned to win the Republican primary, and who will win the general election. And that is why I am supporting Donald Trump for president.”
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Trump has the <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-is-racking-up-endorsements-in-florida-should-desantis-be-worried/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support</a> of most of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation. As of April, Trump landed the endorsements of 11 of the state’s 20 Republican representatives, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-runs-score-desantis-backyard-endorsements-rcna80332" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> Byron Donalds, Greg Steube, John Rutherford, Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, and Brian Mast. 
According to the RealClearPolitics <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/fl/2024_florida_republican_presidential_primary-7852.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">average</a> of polls, Trump – the GOP frontrunner nationally – leads the field for the Florida Republican primary at 46.3%. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, his next closest challenger, is at 36%, while the remainder of the candidates are in the low single digits. 
“I&#8217;d never demand or even ask that another candidate drop out of a political contest,” Scott wrote. “That&#8217;s a decision for every candidate to make for themselves. But I&#8217;m supporting Donald Trump for president because the stakes are too high. The future of our country depends on our ability to come together and throw Joe Biden and these radical Democrats, who are intent on destroying our country, out of office.&#8221;

Donald Trump, Rick Scott

Florida Sen. Rick Scott Endorses Trump For President, Says GOP Should ‘Unite’

Florida Sen. Rick Scott Endorses Trump For President, Says GOP Should 'Unite'

2024 Election

2024 Primaries

Donald Trump

Elections

Florida

Politics

Republican Primary

Wednesday morning, President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> announced a fresh $100 million dollars for &#8220;humanitarian aid&#8221; in Gaza, as well as Judea and Samaria. Of course, critics were quick to point out that there is a strong likelihood that that funding will wind up in the hands of the very Islamic extremists at war with Israel.
Among those who took ire with Biden&#8217;s decision was former President Donald Trump. From a lower Manhattan courthouse, where the GOP frontrunner is facing a civil fraud legal battle, Trump blasted the current commander-in-chief.
&#8220;I think right now it&#8217;s totally inappropriate. It&#8217;s so inappropriate — to be doing that right now? He&#8217;s over in Israel, and he&#8217;s giving money to the Palestinians,&#8221; Trump said in disbelief.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s pretty inappropriate,&#8221; he added again for good measure.
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TRUMP: &quot;Biden is sending $100 million to the Palestinians&#8230;It&#39;s totally inappropriate&#8230;
He&#39;s over in Israel and he&#39;s giving money to the Palestinians&#8230;VERY inappropriate!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vrCRFWeuEx">pic.twitter.com/vrCRFWeuEx</a>
&mdash; Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1714727835233886667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Earlier in the day on Twitter, Biden seemed aware that Hamas would attempt to steal some of this money.
&#8220;This money will support over 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians,&#8221; Biden tweeted. &#8220;And we will have mechanisms in place so this aid reaches those in need – not Hamas or terrorist groups.&#8221;
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I just announced $100 million for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank.
This money will support over 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians.
And we will have mechanisms in place so this aid reaches those in need – not Hamas or terrorist groups.
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1714659096735981617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In reaction to that tweet, Florida Governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis was as stunned as Trump by the move.
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&#8220;Aid to the Gaza Strip is what Biden is prioritizing today?&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;This aid will of course be commandeered by Hamas. No taxpayer dollars should be sent to Gaza. Stop funding jihad!&#8221;
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Aid to the Gaza Strip is what Biden is prioritizing today? This aid will of course be commandeered by Hamas.
No taxpayer dollars should be sent to Gaza. Stop funding jihad! <a href="https://t.co/mRwyRSehMV">https://t.co/mRwyRSehMV</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1714667903088267531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, added, &#8220;Under present circumstances, &#8216;humanitarian assistance&#8217; = resupply for Hamas terrorists. President Biden continues to embolden Iran and its terror proxies.&#8221;
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Under present circumstances, “humanitarian assistance” = resupply for Hamas terrorists. President Biden continues to embolden Iran and its terror proxies. <a href="https://t.co/AuouSepdJu">https://t.co/AuouSepdJu</a>
&mdash; Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1714670091944542220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) vowed to propose legislation to stop Biden&#8217;s funding.
&#8220;Not a single dollar of U.S. aid should go to Hamas-controlled Gaza until all hostages, including AMERICANS, are safely released. I&#8217;ll be on the Senate floor later to pass my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to guarantee that. Surely no Democrat could disagree with this&#8230;&#8221;
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Not a single dollar of U.S. aid should go to Hamas-controlled Gaza until all hostages, including AMERICANS, are safely released. I&#39;ll be on the Senate floor later to pass my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to guarantee that. 
Surely no Democrat could disagree with this&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/5dlzFBSXrd">https://t.co/5dlzFBSXrd</a>
&mdash; Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1714663034898063675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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As president, Trump ended all aid to Gaza and Judea and Samaria as part of his strong anti-terror foreign policy. The Biden administration <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-donald-trump-middle-east-israel-palestinian-conflict-a6c56286aece202f2ffbc7ab500c605c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restored</a> that aid <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1379857846112780295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1379857846112780295%7Ctwgr%5E5a33d1eb9874f53dec64ad05c874fd11ec56c5ee%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.france24.com%2Fen%2Fmiddle-east%2F20210407-us-restores-aid-to-palestinian-cut-by-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in</a> April 2021. Just weeks later, Hamas launched 4,000 rockets at Israel.
At the time, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) presciently <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-donald-trump-middle-east-israel-palestinian-conflict-a6c56286aece202f2ffbc7ab500c605c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;The longer Joe Biden shows weakness to Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran, the more you’re going to see terrorist attacks escalating.&#8221;
Indeed, the most recent Hamas terrorist attack came after the Biden administration announced it would be unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian money.
For his part, Trump also slammed the tragedy in Israel as the latest evidence of &#8220;the deadly consequences&#8221; of Biden&#8217;s &#8220;three years of breathtaking weakness and appeasement,&#8221; in an opinion column for <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-bidens-weakness-incompetence-strengthened-iran-hamas-opinion-1835513" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newsweek</a>.

Donald Trump, Joe Biden

‘Totally Inappropriate’: Trump, Others Blast Biden For Giving Palestinians Fresh U.S. Tax Dollars

'Totally Inappropriate': Trump, Others Blast Biden For Giving Palestinians Fresh U.S. Tax Dollars

Global Politics

Hamas

Israel

Joe Biden

Ron DeSantis

Tom Cotton

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> Democrats are hoping for some Magic in Florida&#8217;s 2024 Senate race, and hoping that basketball greats can put the Heat on Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rick-scott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rick Scott</a>.
Party donors and operatives are trying to recruit NBA legends Grant Hill and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dwyane-wade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dwyane Wade</a> to run against Scott in 2024, according to a report from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/grant-hill-dwayne-wade-democrats-senate-florida-rick-scott-rcna83401" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>. Hill starred for the Orlando Magic in the 2000s, and Wade spent nearly all of his playing career with the Miami Heat, including 3 Championship runs with the team. Wade left the state after he retired, but claimed in April that his family &#8220;wouldn&#8217;t feel welcome&#8221; in his former home state due to increasingly anti-LBGT policies.
“Grant Hill has great name ID. He would raise a boatload of money and is one of the smartest guys you will ever meet,” attorney John Morgan told NBC News. Morgan is a national Democratic donor and a business partner of Hill&#8217;s who has reportedly talked directly with him about a potential run. “Grant Hill would beat the s*** out of Rick Scott,” he said.
Morgan said he brought up the prospect with two other Democratic activists at a dinner on Sunday. “I’m not sure it’s his time, but he would be great,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He’s competitive. I think he sees LeBron James as a billionaire and Magic Johnson almost a billionaire, and it gets his competitive juices flowing. I am not sure he is done with business.”
Hill is an NBA Hall of Fame guard/forward who played for the Orlando Magic from 2000-2007, and still lives in the Orlando area. He is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, and an analyst for CBS and their affiliates. He is also a successful real estate developer, and has several lucrative endorsement deals. Hill has also been active in politics, supporting John Kerry, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton&#8217;s presidential campaigns.
Democratic donors are also talking about recruiting Wade, who played 13 seasons with the Miami Heat and won championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. Besides being a legend in Florida Sports, Wade is also an advocate for transgenderism. In <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-dwyane-wade-says-12-year-old-trans-son-changed-her-name-ellen-degeneres-praises-him-on-parenting-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020</a>, Wade declared that his preteen son, Zion, had come out as a transgender girl named Zaya. Wade called the child a &#8220;leader&#8221; in the LGBT community, and said he and his wife are proud LGBT &#8220;allies.&#8221;
But Wade, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dwyane-wade-said-he-left-florida-because-family-wouldnt-be-accepted-or-feel-comfortable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left the state</a> after he retired from the NBA, said in April that recent legislation would make a potential return uncomfortable. He specifically pointed to Florida HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which prohibited schools from talking about gender and sexuality from grades K-3. The bill has been mischaracterized by the Left as the &#8220;Don&#8217;t Say Gay&#8221; bill.&#8221;
“That’s another reason why I don’t live in that state,” Wade told sports journalist Rachel Nichols. “A lot of people don’t know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions. I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.&#8221;
“Dwyane Wade is a Florida legend, whose leadership past and present has a lot of folks in our state sending feelers out,” Ray Paultre, the executive director of the progressive donor coalition Florida Alliance, told NBC News. “We have seen former athletes, in both parties, bring something special to the political landscape. He hasn’t been officially approached, but he is on the list of four or five dream candidates to challenge Rick Scott.&#8221;
Scott narrowly defeated Democrat Bill Nelson in 2018, 50.1%-49.9%. But the state has shifted rightward since then; Scott&#8217;s Republican colleague, Marco Rubio, won his race last year by a massive margin 57%-41%, and Governor Ron DeSantis won re-election by an even larger margin, 59%-40%.

Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill

Dwyane Wade Said Anti LGBTQ Policies Drove Him From Florida — Now He’s Being Recruited To Run For Senate

NBA Greats Grant Hill, Ex-Floridian Dwyane Wade Eyed As Potential Rick Scott Challengers In 2024: Report

Democrats

Dwyane Wade

U.S. Senate

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) laid into Whoopi Goldberg on Tuesday after she joked that she couldn&#8217;t tell him apart from Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).
Goldberg made the comments during a segment of the ABC midday talk show &#8220;The View,&#8221; suggesting that because they were both Republicans, she couldn&#8217;t really differentiate between Tim Scott — who is black — and Rick Scott, who is not.
WATCH:
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Racist Whoopi says she can&#39;t tell the difference between Senator Tim Scott, who is black, and Senator Rick Scott, who is white. <a href="https://t.co/4lWXy4IJmy">pic.twitter.com/4lWXy4IJmy</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1625534982935527429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We do deserve to have two strong parties,&#8221; Goldberg said during a discussion on Tuesday&#8217;s broadcast about former Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC) announcing a 2024 presidential bid. &#8220;So, you know, Tim Scott, black Tim Scott, right? Because there are two Scotts and I don&#8217;t know how to differentiate them without a picture.&#8221;
&#8220;Rick Scott and Tim Scott. Tim Scott is black, right? Okay,&#8221; Goldberg continued. &#8220;He&#8217;s about to run — announce he&#8217;s running. They&#8217;re going to be coming out of the woodwork, so don&#8217;t just settle.&#8221;
Tim Scott got wind of Goldberg&#8217;s confusion — and offered her a primer on the similarities and differences between himself and Rick Scott.
&#8220;To clear up any confusion, Whoopi, despite @ScottForFlorida and I sporting similar hairstyles and representing the South, we are two different people,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You should get to know me.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
To clear up any confusion, Whoopi, despite <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottforFlorida?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottForFlorida</a> and I sporting similar hairstyles and representing the South, we are two different people. 
You should get to know me. <a href="https://t.co/Pu6KUj5pWT">https://t.co/Pu6KUj5pWT</a>
&mdash; Tim Scott (@votetimscott) <a href="https://twitter.com/votetimscott/status/1625549555981844480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Florida Senator responded to Scott&#8217;s assessment, sharing a photo of the two of them together and adding, &#8220;Can confirm.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Can confirm <a href="https://t.co/sDeYYXoV8W">https://t.co/sDeYYXoV8W</a> <a href="https://t.co/AIh5bJsxAy">pic.twitter.com/AIh5bJsxAy</a>
&mdash; Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottforFlorida/status/1625578926662639633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tim Scott has <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/tim-scott-claps-back-whoopi-goldberg-saying-tell-him-apart-rick-scott-know?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously tangled</a> with the hosts of &#8220;The View,&#8221; defending Haley after co-host Sunny Hostin <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/sunny-hostin-says-nikki-haley-ditched-ethnic-name-to-pass-but-she-ditched-asuncion-because-americans-are-stupid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused her</a> of using her middle name to sound less &#8220;ethnic.&#8221;
&#8220;I can&#8217;t imagine that in America today that Sunny&#8217;s having a conversation about Nikki Haley&#8217;s name. Let&#8217;s have a conversation about how good of a governor she was. Let&#8217;s have a conversation about how all of South Carolinians, especially minorities in our state, saw their opportunities go up, not down under her leadership. The fact of the matter is that when you see strong, powerful, positive minorities standing up on the conservative side, the Left always wants to hit and demoralize, diminish our impact,&#8221; Scott said.
Haley — whose full name is Nimarata Nikki Haley — <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/sunny-isnt-your-birth-name-nikki-haley-fires-back-at-the-view-for-calling-her-an-ethnic-chameleon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded as well</a>, pointing out that Hostin goes by &#8220;Sunny&#8221; rather than her given name, Asunción. Hostin claimed she had opted for the nickname because Americans were too &#8220;stupid&#8221; to pronounce it properly.

Sen. Scott

‘You Should Get To Know Me’: Tim Scott Mocks Whoopi Goldberg For Confusing Him With Rick Scott

Tim Scott Mocks Whoopi Goldberg For Confusing Him With Rick Scott

The View

Tim Scott

Whoopi Goldberg

President Joe Biden started off his State of the Union address with a wonderful call for unity.
&#8220;You know, we’re often told that Democrats and Republicans can’t work together. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and naysayers wrong,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there’s no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well.&#8221;
But then he got nasty.
&#8220;So my — many of — some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage — I get it — unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what those plans are. Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans — some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I’m not saying it’s a majority &#8211;&#8221;
<blockquote>AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: Let me give you —
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy. I’ll give you a copy of the proposal.</blockquote>
But that hasn&#8217;t happened. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has offered an 11-point plan that includes a proposal for every piece of federal legislation to sunset after five years. If the legislation works, Congress could simply renew it.
Yet Democrats love their &#8220;Mediscare.&#8221; They love telling the American people that the GOP is going to attack the most vulnerable in our nation &#8212; knowing full well that it&#8217;s not true.
For his part, Scott <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3849304-scott-doubles-down-on-sunsetting-all-federal-programs-after-bidens-jab/">dismissed</a> Biden’s accusations as a “dishonest move” by a “very confused president.” “I will not be intimidated by Joe Biden twisting my words,” he added.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, too, has pondered reformations to Social Security.
“There are modest reforms in entitlements that can be done without disadvantaging anybody at the point of the need,” Pence <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/3843718-pence-weve-got-to-have-a-conversation-about-reforming-social-security/">said</a> last week. That isn&#8217;t exactly doing away with the entitlement programs.
Pence has also suggested the U.S. government let younger Americans put part of their Social Security withholdings into a private savings account, but that idea went nowhere when George W. Bush proposed it back in the aughts.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has gone further, saying in 2010, it &#8220;will be my objective to phase out Social Security, to pull it up by the roots and get rid of it.&#8221;
After backlash, he walked that back, eventually <a href="https://www.heraldextra.com/news/2022/oct/29/in-his-own-words-a-convesation-with-sen-mike-lee/">proposing</a> a privatization plan similar to Pence&#8217;s.
Other Republicans have suggested moving the threshold age for Medicare to 67 and for Social Security to 70 in an attempt to reduce costs. But Republicans joined Democrats this year in boosting Social Security by 14% in the 2023 budget, and Medicare is set for a $32 billion increase, taking its gross spending on benefits above $1 trillion.
So Republicans don&#8217;t really want to do away with either program. But Biden got himself worked up into a tizzy, foaming at the mouth as he said, &#8220;Those benefits belong to the American people. They earned it. And if anyone tries to cut Social Security &#8230; if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I’ll stop them. I’ll veto it.&#8221;
&#8220;And, look, I’m not going to allow them to take away — be taken away. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.&#8221;
Well, no one&#8217;s trying to do that, Mr. President. And you know that.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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.

President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address

Republicans Aren’t Really Trying To Kill Social Security And Medicare, And Biden Knows It

Republicans Aren't Really Trying To Kill Social Security And Medicare, And President Joe Biden Knows It

Executive

Medicare

Mike Lee

Mike Pence

Social Security

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

Mitch McConnell

Republicans

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

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

Marsha Blackburn

Thom Tillis

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

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