The U.S. House of Representatives was called into session early from August recess to pass several budget related bills, including the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation resolution. All of Oklahoma’s House Delegation slammed the maneuver and voted against the budget measure.
Each released a statement you can find below.
Congressman Tom Cole:
“I am astounded by the irresponsible manner in which Speaker Pelosi operated the House this week, simply because she could not get members of her own party in line and on board with her will and wishes,” said Cole. “As a result, Speaker Pelosi had the House skip critical debate and an individual vote on a consequential budget resolution solely intended to trigger $3.5 trillion worth of radical tax-and-spend legislation. Instead of going through the normal process, the reckless budget was buried in another measure to ensure its adoption, whether a majority of support actually existed within the Democratic Caucus.
“Considering that inflation is already at its highest level in decades and with mounting crises across the nation and around the world, this behavior is not only disgraceful, it is a disservice to the American people. This fight is far from over as the House will be considering the reconciliation and infrastructure bills later in the fall.”
Congressman Frank Lucas:
“Today, Speaker Pelosi successfully compelled moderate House Democrats, who originally stood for fiscal responsibility, to pass a rule that guarantees the passage of budget reconciliation- an egregious, irresponsible spending and tax plan saddled on the back of the American people. Democrat spending is completely out of control, and families are paying the price as Americans see the purchasing power of their hard-earned paycheck tumble,” said Lucas. “This is not the fiscal responsibility Oklahomans deserve, and I’ll continue to urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to grasp the real-world consequences of their reckless spending.”
Congressman Markwayne Mullin:
“The $3.5 trillion tax and spend spree is nothing more than a blank check for Democrats’ socialist agenda,” Mullin said. “It calls for the highest sustained federal spending level in American history and will saddle our future generations with massive debt. Thanks to the out-of-control spending from Democrats already this year, Americans are paying more for just about everything. As inflation continues to sky-rocket, the last thing we should be doing is increasing reckless spending.”
Congressman Kevin Hern:
I spent the first five months of this year as the Republican Study Committee Budget and Spending Task Force chair working alongside many of these incredible men and women behind me on the RSC budget.
As the Speaker has said on multiple occasions, “show me your budget, I’ll show you your values.” Her budget shows us she wants to bankrupt America, an atrocity for the American people.
When I look at this so-called budget the Democrats are putting forward, it’s clear they have no respect for the taxpayer. Far too many Democrats here have forgotten this most basic fact: the US government has no money of our own. Every dollar comes from the American taxpayers.
$3.5 trillion is an unimaginable sum, more than any of us can fathom. That money isn’t coming out of thin air – it’s going to come from you.
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, families in my home state of Oklahoma received an average tax cut of $1,700. Pelosi’s budget would reverse that tax relief and place the burden of her unpopular agenda on American families.
Let’s talk about debt for a minute.
Every American family has to live within their means, or else accumulate debt. Your debts impact your credit and your budget. If you have debts, your family must adjust spending levels to accommodate paying off debt.
Like every American family, the government has to factor in our debt to the decisions we make. Except Democrats like to act like our debts don’t exist. They think that it’s impossible for the United States to default on our debts, that we can spend as much as we want, when we want, with no consequences.
When I first came to Congress at the beginning of 2019, our national debt was $19 trillion. By next year, we will hit $34 trillion.
Congress has spent $13.3 trillion of your money on COVID relief programs, yet only 8.7 trillion of those dollars have actually been put to use. Where’s the other $4.6 trillion, why are we talking about spending even more?
This monstrous package is nothing more than a wish-list for the fringe left. I’ve spent the last several weeks back home in Oklahoma, talking with Republicans, Democrats, and people who couldn’t give a hoot about politics – none of them want what’s in this bill. They don’t want to see this kind of spending.
Pelosi and Biden are catering to the few vocal members of the far left, and they’re leaving the vast majority of Americans behind in the process. A drastic expansion of the federal government is not what we need. The Green New Deal is not what the American people want.
This is blatant contempt for the American taxpayer. It’s time for the taxpayers to speak out, stand up, and fight back.
We do not accept Pelosi’s agenda. We will not be on the hook for Biden’s failures, and we sure as hell do not consent to this kind of reckless, wasteful, useless spending in our nation’s capital.
Congresswoman Stephanie Bice:
“The House was brought back to DC this week to vote on a suite of bills, including setting the congressional budget for the U.S. government, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Unfortunately, I was unable to support any of these partisan measures.
This House budget serves only as a vehicle to fund Pelosi’s progressive priorities and raise taxes on hardworking Americans. Should this be enacted, it would allow for the highest sustained federal spending level in American history! This is on top of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which adds $256 billion to our projected deficits. We can all agree that investments in true infrastructure are needed, but this partisan bill is not the answer.
In addition, we must not federalize our elections, as is the case with the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. In 2018 and 2020, there was record voter turnout, including in minority communities. This legislation is about election control and manipulation by federal agencies.
Passing any or all of these measures will be to the detriment of our country. We cannot continue down this path of uncontrolled spending, continuing to burden future generations with insurmountable debt, and causing irreparable harm to our economy.”
