Vice President Biden Speaks on the Budget at GWU  ... >
April 28, 2014 - Recently back from a trip to Ukraine, where he sought to reassure the beleaguered government, Vice President Joe Biden made a short trip across town to deliver a speech on the budget and economic policy at The George Washington University.
Biden blasted Paul Ryan's budget plan, passed by the Republican-controlled House earlier this month.  He said the Republican plan, which is not expected to advance further, would give tax cuts to those who do not need them while making sharp cuts to everything from Medicaid to education to medical research.  He said that today's Republican leaders differ markedly from past Republicans such as Eisenhower, who built the interstate highway system and Nixon, who invested in cancer research.  "This is not your father's Republican Party," Biden stated.  He said it is time to restore the basic bargain with the middle class, and he urged the audience of over 300 students not to give into cynicism.
Biden's critique of the Ryan budget plan is likely to become very familiar to voters as the 2014 mid-term elections heat up.  Indeed Democratic candidates around the country are already making the Ryan budget a prime target. 

For example, in a fundraising email from today, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) wrote, "Look, I’m a business guy. I would never invest in a business that so dramatically cuts funding for educating its workforce and staying ahead of the competition. We simply can’t afford that approach as we compete with China, India, and countries all around the globe.  I believe in a balanced approach to our budget..."

However, National Republican Congressional Committee rapid response director Matt Gorman responded to Biden's speech with a statement, “For a man who used to tell people ‘show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value,’ Vice President Biden sure has no qualms about supporting a budget that leaves ObamaCare in place, raises taxes, and never, ever balances. This November, voters will see a clear contrast between Republicans who want to replace Obamacare with a patient-centered approach and Democrats who continue to defend this train wreck of a law.”
Outside after the speech, students wait for Biden's motorcade to leave.
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