White House says deleted tweet crediting Biden on Social Security gains was 'incomplete'
Lauren Egan and Zoë Richards | NBC News
Wed, November 2, 2022 at 6:50 PM
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The Biden administration argued Wednesday that a deleted White House tweet touting Social Security increases was removed because it was "incomplete."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at Wednesday's briefing that the tweet, which credited President Joe Biden for the “biggest increase” in Social Security checks in a decade, should have included other contextual information.
The tweet read: “Seniors are getting the biggest increase in their Social Security checks in 10 years through President Biden’s leadership.”
It was removed after Twitter marked it with a “context” note to explain that, under a 1972 law, Social Security increases are adjusted based on the Labor Department's Consumer Price Index, not presidential action.
Jean-Pierre said the tweet should have included details about how Medicare premiums will decrease for the first time in over a decade. She also said the tweet should have drawn a clear contrast between Biden’s position on Social Security and that of Republicans, whom she accused of supporting cuts to the social safety net program.
“Those are the types of contexts that would normally be with a tweet like that, and it did not have that context. It was an incomplete tweet, as I just mentioned, and so that’s why you saw the digital team take that action,” she said.
Republicans have hammered Biden and Democratic candidates over inflation, which has been identified as a top concern for many voters in the midterm elections.
Inflation concerns are also top of mind at the Federal Reserve, which raised its key interest rate yet again Wednesday in its efforts to slow price increases.
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