House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) on Thursday ripped President Biden’s first formal address to Congress while comparing Biden to one of the most progressive senators, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
McCarthy tweeted in part on Thursday that Biden’s spending plan “makes Bernie Sanders look like a conservative,” with the House minority leader reiterating his argument accusing Biden of a “bait and switch” by campaigning on a message of bipartisanship before ultimately governing “as a socialist.”
“Today officially marks 100 days since President Biden assumed office. Here’s his record so far: An unprecedented border crisis, Thousands of good-paying energy jobs destroyed, A tax-and-spend agenda that makes Bernie Sanders look like a conservative,” McCarthy tweeted.
McCarthy said in a Fox News interview Wednesday night that he spoke to Sanders after Biden’s address and told him that the senator appeared “more conservative” than the president given Biden’s agenda.
“I asked the senator, ‘Did you ever think you would be more conservative than the president?’ ” McCarthy recounted to host Sean Hannity.
Asked how the senator reacted to the question, McCarthy said, “He looked at me and laughed. But he understood what I was saying to him.”
McCarthy has previously criticized Biden’s first few months in office, saying in a previous Fox News interview, “If I look at the 100 days, it’s more of a bait and switch.”
The GOP leader said earlier this month that he had not spoken with Biden since the election and confirmed again Sunday that he has “not met with the president one time, nor had one conversation.”
Biden outlined a broad domestic agenda during his speech Wednesday night, calling for policy reforms in equal pay, immigration and health care and urging Congress to pass his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure plan.
He also pushed his legislation, the American Families Act, which would provide free preschool and community college as well as expand access to affordable child care. He further echoed his call for higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans, saying they must pay their “fair share.”