'Balanced-Budget' Republicans Vote to Add a Half Trillion to the Deficit
With New Tax Cut Bill
By Josh Israel, ThinkProgress
09 October 18
The House passed a bill to make permanent the Trump tax cuts for the rich,
and it passed mostly along party lines.
As the nation watched the Senate Judiciary Committee meet to consider
whether to rush through the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, the House
Republican majority was quietly passing the Protecting Family and Small
Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018 - a bill to make the Trump tax cuts for the
rich permanent. According to the GOP-controlled Joint Committee on Taxation
and the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would add another $545 billion
to the federal budget deficit over the next decade. This would be on top of
the trillions already added to the debt by the original tax bill and the
omnibus budget signed by Trump earlier this year.
The so-called "Tax Cuts 2.0" legislation was backed by 217 House Republicans
and 3 Democrats. Just 10 Republicans - all from California, New Jersey, and
New York, states hit hard by a provision reducing state and local tax
deductions - joined 181 Democrats in opposing the measure.
A ThinkProgress review found that many of the vulnerable Republicans who
voted for this latest unfunded legislation are also among those campaigning
on their commitment to a balanced budget and/or a constitutional amendment
to require one.
Indeed, the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13) has a whole
section on his campaign website about the national debt. "Our national debt
has surpassed $17 trillion, nearly $53,000 for every man, woman, and child
in America. In fact recently, the CBO released a report stating without
major reforms, federal debt held by the public would reach 100 percent of
GDP in 2038," he argues. "This is wrong and immoral. It undermines the
dollar and our place in the global market, resulting is more economic
uncertainty that the nation cannot afford. Washington should live by the
same rules as every American family and that means balancing our budget and
only spending what we take in." Regardless of the merits of this anti-debt
fervor, Davis has not backed it up with his own votes: he supported both the
first round of tax cuts and the spending bill.
He had a lot of company.
1.Rep. French Hill (AR-2). Hill says he has "co-sponsored two versions of
balanced budget amendments to the U.S. Constitution to bring our spending in
line," and that, "Our children and grandchildren depend on us to solve our
debt problem and give them a brighter future." He voted for both tax cut
bills and the omnibus spending bill.
2.Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-6). Schweikert worries that "Our national debt
is out of control," and says, he "has also sponsored real reforms like a
balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that would mandate that
Congress balance the budget each year." He voted for both tax cut bills.
3.Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-4). McClintock writes that the "single greatest
peril to our nation is our national debt - now exceeding $19 trillion. That
debt grew by $595 billion this year - think of that as more than $4,000
added to an average family's credit card bill." To solve this, he says, we
"need a balanced budget amendment to constrain borrowing." He voted for both
tax cut bills.
4.Rep. Mimi Walters (CA-45). Walters boasts "I voted for a balanced budget
resolution that forces Washington to live within its means." She voted for
both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending bill.
5.Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-16). Buchanan lists the Balanced Budget Amendment
as part of his "10 point plan to create jobs and restore our economy,"
arguing it would "help bring stability to our economy." He voted for both
tax cut bills and the omnibus spending bill.
6.Rep. Brian Mast (FL-18). Mast, in the same paragraph, writes "We must pass
a Balance Budget Amendment that will force government to live within its
means," and "The tax cuts passed have allowed you to keep more of your
money, stimulated the economy, and led to more investment." He voted for
both tax cut bills.
7.Rep. David Young (IA-3). Young's"Iowa common sense" principles for
"holding government accountable" include a Balanced Budget Amendment. "The
concept here is simple: never spend more money than you have revenue. In
Iowa, this concept is just common sense." He voted for both tax cut bills
and the omnibus spending bill.
8.Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN-2). Walorski's campaign site says : "With our
national debt standing at $19 trillion and counting, Jackie firmly believes
we must put an end to runaway spending in order to protect future
generations and sustain a strong economy. The first piece of legislation
that Jackie introduced in Congress was a balanced budget amendment to the
Constitution." She voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending
bill.
9.Rep. Andy Barr (KY-6). Barr lists as the top examples of his "getting
results" that he "Voted for H.J. Res. 2, Balanced Budget Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution on 4/12/18," though the effort failed by a wide margin. He
voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending bill.
10.Rep. Bruce Poliquin (ME-2). Poliquin brags of being "a leading voice
pushing a federal Balanced Budget Amendment to once and for all force
Washington live within its means." He voted for both tax cut bills and the
omnibus spending bill.
11.Rep. Justin Amash (MI-3). Amash claims that he "has authored one of the
most thoughtful and popular balanced budget proposals of the last few
decades-to combat the greatest threat to our national security: the federal
government's overspending and debt." He voted for both tax cut bills.
12.Rep. Fred Upton (MI-6). Upton says he "is a supporter of the
constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment, which would require the federal
government to live within its means each year, just like the rest of us." He
voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending bill.
13.Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-7). Beneath a quote from Walberg that the "federal
government needs to live within its means," his campaign site says says,
"Tim Walberg understands the $21 trillion and climbing national debt
threatens the future of our country and causes a significant portion of our
federal budget to be used for simply paying interest on this debt. Tim voted
for a Balanced Budget Amendment to force the federal government to live
within its means, and he voted for fiscally responsible budgets that
dramatically reduce the deficit and place our government on a path to
long-term balance." He voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending
bill.
14.Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-22). After blasting "Obama and the Washington
establishment" for running up over "$18 trillion" in debt, Tenney vowed that
she would "not vote for any additional spending that adds to the debt." She
voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending bill.
15.Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-1). Chabot writes that he has "been a consistent
advocate for a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution" because he
believes "the federal government should be required to operate in a fiscally
responsible manner, just as most American families and small businesses do."
He voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus spending bill.
16.Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-10). Balderson says he "supports a Balanced
Budget Amendment to the Constitution forcing Washington to live within it
means, just like American families. With our nation trillions of dollars in
debt, it's time Congress stop the out of control spending." He voted for the
second tax cut bill and ran in a August special election on his support for
the first one.
17.Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1). Fitzpatrick 's website says on "his first
day in office, Brian Fitzpatrick proposed a comprehensive government reform
plan challenging the career politicians in Washington," including "a
Balanced-Budget Amendment to our Constitution to end the limitless borrowing
which is crippling our future." He voted for both tax cut bills and the
omnibus spending bill.
18.Rep. Pete Sessions (TX-32). Sessions claims, "Washington has a spending
problem that has placed our nation on an unsustainable path of trillion
dollar deficits and a $17 trillion national debt. That is why I have
consistently voted to limit federal spending, reform entitlement programs,
and am a co-sponsor of a bill that calls for the passage of the balanced
budget amendment. Thanks to the Republican majority in the House, we have
been able to hold the line of federal spending, putting total expenditures
on a slightly downward path." (This is false.) He voted for both tax cut
bills and the omnibus spending bill.
19.Rep. Mia Love (UT-4). Love says she "has kept her promises to the 4th
District" by cosponsoring a balanced budget amendment," because "deficits
are now on the rise and our national debt has increased to more than $19
trillion dollars," She voted for both tax cut bills.
20.Rep. Dave Brat (VA-7). Brat says, "Our national debt has skyrocketed,
reaching over $21 trillion dollars. What our leaders in Washington fail to
mention is the $127 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities (see U.S. Debt
Clock)." He says he "introduced a balanced budget amendment which will force
Congress to rein in the out-of-control federal spending and restore
confidence in the American economy." He voted for both tax cut bills.
21.Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5). McMorris Rodgers says she "has
consistently pushed for a Balanced Budget Amendment and voted for it on the
House floor in April." She voted for both tax cut bills and the omnibus
spending bill.
Last month, the Congressional Budget Office announced that the federal
budget deficit had hit $895 billion and would rise to $1 trillion before the
year ends - earlier than predicted. They attributed the growth to the tax
cuts and spending bills.
Email This Page
e-max.it: your social media marketing partner
