Rep. Obernolte, GOP Leadership, Budget Committee Ranking Member lead conference-wide letter to Speaker Pelosi calling for postponement of reconciliation vote until CBO score and analysis are made available
U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-CA) sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Stenny Hoyer (D-MD) on Thursday calling for any vote on the controversial reconciliation bill to be postponed until the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office can issue a full score and fiscal analysis of the bill as required by law and by the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Obernolte was joined on the letter by Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), House Budget Committee Republican Leader Jason Smith (R-MO) and over 200 members of the House of Representatives.
“While we the undersigned have serious concerns with the portions of the bill that we have seen, certainly we should all be able to agree that Members of Congress should have a full accounting of how this bill will impact spending, deficits and debt now and in the future,” reads the letter. “As we approach the end of the year without having completed the annual appropriations process as well as facing a looming debt ceiling cliff, it would be unconscionable to commit to the purported trillions of dollars that the reconciliation bill might cost without knowing its true price tag. Given that the price of this bill makes it the most expensive piece of legislation in American history, it is imperative Members of Congress are not asked to vote on it until a full cost estimate is available for their review.”
Watch today’s press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol here
While the White House and some Congressional leaders have claimed the reconciliation bill will not add a single dollar to the federal deficit, some estimates indicate that even the most paired down version of the package would add as much as $3 trillion to the national debt and also show the bills pay-for provisions falling short of even the initial spending requirements. Despite this and other conflicting reports about the potential impacts of the legislation, the House has poised itself for a vote on the reconciliation bill this week, bypassing both the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and House Rule XIII which require a formal Congressional Budget Office score of the bill prior to House consideration.
“If the Administration and Congressional leaders claim the ‘Build Back Better’ plan will add nothing to the federal deficit, then they should prove it,” said Rep. Obernolte. “It’s common sense that members of Congress should know the cost of any legislation before voting on it. This bill represents one of the largest spending packages in Congressional history. Allowing the CBO to do its job and score the legislation before it’s forced through the House will answer important questions. In a year where we are simultaneously facing inflation of more than seven percent, a supply chain crisis and a labor shortage as a result of bad government policy, we cannot afford to make an uninformed decision.”
“Washington Democrats have spent months pushing a tax and spending agenda that is the most expensive piece of legislation in American history. Yet rather than be honest about the true cost of their policies and how they will continue to fuel the highest growth in prices Americans have seen in forty years, Democrats are attempting to deceive the American people by hiding behind budget gimmicks and playing shell games that make their spending appear less on paper. I am proud to stand with my Republican colleagues in defense of American families by calling on Congressional Democrats to halt any further consideration of their tax and spending agenda until Congress has received a complete score from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The American people deserve, at the very least, that measure of transparency and accountability,” said Ranking Member Jason Smith (MO-08).
“The Democrats’ socialist spending plan is bad for our economy and it’s bad for Americans. It will hand more control over to the federal government, while it will inevitably drive up consumer costs and raise taxes on middle-class families. This legislation is completely inconsistent with the needs of the American people and will transform America in every way imaginable. Even members of their own party know it’s bad, which is why Speaker Pelosi is trying to rush through this vote before the public learns more about how their bill will squander trillions in taxpayer dollars. But at a minimum, before a vote is held, members of Congress should have a CBO score and analysis available, so every member has the information needed before taking a vote on this massive and consequential package,” said GOP Leader McCarthy.
“President Biden and Speaker Pelosi’s radical tax-and-spending spree would devastate American workers and small businesses. Democrats are more focused on raising taxes on low-income and middle class families instead of working to fix their self-made inflation and border crises,” said Whip Scalise. “At a time when moms and dads are struggling to put food on the table and keep the lights on, Democrats are pushing forward with their multi-trillion-dollar progressive wish list that pours gasoline on the inflation fire and cripples our economy. At a time when our Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed with the hundreds of thousands of migrants unlawfully trying to enter our country, Democrats want to give amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. While Democrats are out of touch, Republicans are paying attention. I applaud Congressman Obernolte’s efforts to stop Democrats’ big government socialist agenda and be a voice for struggling Americans.”
“Democrats are so desperate to ram through their radical agenda, they are not even letting the American people know how much it will cost,” Chairwoman Stefanik said. “We already know future generations will be paying the price for Democrats’ largest tax increase in American history. This bill is over 2,000 pages of Far-Left policies that the American people have already rejected. Democrats must stop hiding the truth from our constituents.”
Read the full letter and view the list of the 206 signers here.