On Sunday, Florida GOP Senator Rick Scott attempted to deflect about Republicans’ plans to cut Social Security and Medicare — then got caught mid-interview for trying to pin their extreme agenda on Democrats instead.

Rick Scott is the one responsible for coming up with a wildly unpopular plan to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block.

Washington Post Opinion: “Scott’s [‘Rescue America’] plan would also sunset — eliminate — all federal legislation over five years, under the (risky) assumption that worthy laws would be reenacted. That could mean an end to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, everything else mentioned above — and potentially more.”

Marching in lockstep with Senator Scott, top House Republicans have already come out and made clear that if they take control, they would make it one of their “top priorities” to gut Social Security and Medicare.

Bloomberg Government: “Social Security and Medicare eligibility changes, spending caps, and safety-net work requirements are among the top priorities for key House Republicans who want to use next year’s debt-limit deadline to extract concessions from Democrats.”

In fact, Republicans are so hellbent on coming after key programs, including Social Security, that they would threaten to crash the economy in order to push spending cuts. Even an economist from the conservative American Enterprise Institute said that if Republicans take control and start “playing games” with the debt ceiling, it could have potentially disastrous consequences for the economy and the American people.

Semafor: “Republican leaders are currently talking about using votes on the debt ceiling, which must be lifted next year, to secure major policy concessions. That renders the possibility of a standoff that frightens investors and spikes interest rates an increasingly plausible scenario.

‘If the Republicans begin playing games with the debt ceiling and it looks like the United States might default on its obligations, there’ll be a huge bond sell-off,’ Desmond Lachman, a macroeconomic expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said.”

Republicans’ plan to gut Social Security is so backward that even a Republican voter called it a “dealbreaker” and a complete “betrayal” to the American people.

Newsweek: “As soon as [Steve Scalise’s] interview began, [Fox News] host Shannon Bream… presented the lawmaker with a message from a concerned viewer, who characterized the GOP’s plan for Medicare as a potential ‘betrayal.’

‘He’s a Republican, he’s very worried about you cutting his Medicare,’ Bream said as she relayed the message she purported to have received on Twitter. ‘He says it’s a dealbreaker and a betrayal by the GOP.’”

Make no mistake: Rick Scott and the Republican Party are campaigning on plans that would threaten Social Security and Medicare benefits for millions of Americans. That’s the GOP’s closing midterm message one week out from Election Day.