President Joe Biden has been trying to stay above the political fray, but in recent weeks came out swinging.

It’s the kind of fight he displayed ahead of the 2020 election, which seemed to work in his favor, and now he’s employing it again ahead of the midterms.

Biden is warning that if the Republicans take control of Congress after the midterms, the economy will “crash.” According to Biden, the Republicans will do this by holding up the debt limit to extract spending cuts while targeting two entitlement programs: Medicare and Social Security.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Republican, California) has suggested using an increase in the debt limit as leverage to force GOP policy changes. McCarthy did not rule out using Medicare and Social Security as part of that leverage.

Biden explained Friday from the White House, “If you’re worried about the economy, you need to know this Republican leadership in Congress has made it clear they will crash the economy next year by threatening the full faith and credit of the United States. For the first time in our history, putting the United States in default unless we yield to their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare.”

Biden has added, “Let me be really clear. I will not yield. I will not cut Social Security. I will not cut Medicare, no matter how hard they work. And folks, we know what the Republican Congress will do if they regain power. They’re telling us to be straight up about it.”

He calls the plan “mega-MAGA-trickle down.”

While the Washington elite continues to fight about who would be more responsible for the deficit, Americans care about the fact that they can’t afford food or housing – a point the out-of-touch politicians seem to forget entirely.