Steny Hoyer whacks GOP for sudden interest in deficit spending
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hammered Republicans on Tuesday for taking on deficit spending just months after championing tax cuts projected to pile almost $2 trillion onto the debt.
Hoyer, the Democratic whip, said the Republicans’ push this week for a balanced budget amendment (BBA) — a constitutional change effectively prohibiting deficit spending — is “a political stunt” smacking of hypocrisy.
“This legislation is a charade. I don’t know how anybody can believe the Republicans are serious about tackling deficits after they exploded the deficit,” Hoyer said during a press briefing in the Capitol.
“This is the height of hypocrisy.”
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Monday estimated the Republicans’ tax overhaul, adopted in December, will add $1.9 trillion to the debt by the end of 2028 — a far cry from the Republican predictions that the cuts would pay for themselves by spurring economic growth.
The CBO also predicted that deficit spending would hit $804 billion this year — a $242 billion spike over an assessment conducted last summer — and top $1 trillion by 2020. The increases, CBO indicated, are largely due to the Republicans’ tax cut combined with the $1.3 trillion 2018 spending package, which was enacted last month with broad bipartisan support.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/382507-hoyer-whacks-gop-for-sudden-interest-in-deficit-spending
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