Republicans from across Florida took aim at President Barack Obama this week for bringing up the possibility of freezing Social Security, Medicaid, military pay and veterans’ benefits if a federal government shutdown occurs.

During an interview with CBS, Obama said that Social Security payments could be held up if the Congress -- divided by a Democratic-controlled Senate and a Republican-controlled House -- doesn't raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2.

"I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on Aug. 3 if we haven't resolved this issue," said Obama. "Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it."

The Obama administration ratcheted up the rhetoric following the interview.

"That would then entail a kind of 'Sophie's Choice' situation, where you have to decide what bills you can pay," insisted Jay Carney, the White House press secretary. "And the fact is, you know, whether it's Social Security checks or veterans' benefits or disability benefits, it's pretty clear that the effect will be significant."

While conservatives across the nation took note of Marco Rubio as a rising star during the 2010 election cycle, he kept a low profile during the first half of 2010. Already the subject of talk about a possible future presidential campaign -- and a leading possibility for the vice presidential spot on the 2012 Republican tickert -- the new U.S. senator from Florida fired away at Obama.

Appearing on the Hugh Hewitt radio show Tuesday, Rubio took off the gloves and ripped into Obama over federal budget negotiations.

Asked by Hewitt if seniors in Florida would be impacted by not getting Social Security checks, Rubio insisted, if that happens, it will be Obama’s fault.

“Well, if they don’t get their Social Security checks, it’s because the president’s decided to do that, because we still have revenue coming in,” said Rubio. “Here’s the other thing I would say: If, in fact, the president holds up their checks for Social Security and Medicare, and whatever else he wants to hold up to make his point, isn’t he admitting that all these programs are funded by deficit spending? Isn’t he admitting that all these programs are dependent upon borrowed money?

“And I think the folks who are on Social Security, people like my mom, would be shocked to learn the truth that the money they’re receiving in Social Security isn’t the money they worked hard for all these years to put away, the government was going to give back to them in their retirement.

"The government spent all that money already,” added Rubio. “They spent it long ago on other things. This is borrowed money. This is money that we’re borrowing from our children and our grandchildren. And I think ... if that happens ... people are going to be shocked to learn the real truth about what the government’s done with their Social Security money.”

Rubio added that Obama could see the problem coming, and did nothing to prevent it.

“This issue of the debt limit didn’t sneak up on us. This has been around for a while. We knew this was coming. And then the president’s done nothing on it. He gave a State of the Union speech this year, never mentioned any plans about how to address this. He offered a budget before Congress, and the budget was so bad, I mean, it actually increased the debt. His budget was so bad, so unrealistic, that when we put it to a vote here in the Senate, not even a single Democrat voted for it. That’s how bad it was. It didn’t get a single vote."

Rubio was not alone. Republicans from all across the Sunshine State rose up in a chorus to condemn Obama on Wednesday.

Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, now running for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, also slammed the president.