Sept. 14, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement challenging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to either end the Byrd Rule or for Congress to implement the Trump budget cutting spending by $4.5 trillion of spending cuts in order to make room for major tax relief:
“President Trump is proposing a major tax cut overhaul that will lower corporate and individual rates and give a major boost to the economy that has not grown above 3 percent since 2005 and not above 4 percent since 2000. But the biggest stumbling block will be, once again, arcane Senate rules on budget reconciliation and the monopoly on budget scores the JCT and CBO possess.
“With these constraints, Congress and specifically the GOP Senate face a choice. Either, end the Byrd Rule requiring deficit neutrality on budget bills, or enact the Trump budget that cuts $4.5 trillion of spending to make room for the tax relief the American people and businesses need to get the economy moving again. The Byrd rule which allows the parliamentarian to effectively veto any part of a budget reconciliation bill is nothing more than an excuse, because the majority can overrule the parliamentarian on anything, meaning they can do whatever they want.
“Otherwise, the tax bill likely to emerge from the House and Senate is going to stink, just like the economy has for the past decade or so. If we cannot count on the Republican Congress to cut taxes, what can they be counted on to do? It’s like a slow-motion train wreck. Everyone knows it’s coming, you can see it in real-time. This is a debate where the GOP Congress is bound to disappoint, unless they change and change right this instant. It’s time to help the economy grow again.”
Attachments:
“Escaping the Tax-Reform Budget Trap,” Wall Street Journal editorial, Sept. 13, 2017 at https://www.wsj.com/articles/escaping-the-tax-reform-budget-trap-1505344111
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.
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