WASHINGTON
– Republican Ranking Members of all Senate committees that have received
reconciliation instructions are calling on Leader Schumer and Senate Committee
Chairs to hold legislative hearings, and markups with votes, on Democrats’
reckless taxing and spending legislation. In the letter, the senators highlight
the need for the legislative text to be made public and official scores from
the nonpartisan budget experts--the Congressional Budget Office and Joint
Committee on Taxation--along with full committee consideration and debate. Sen.
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee,
joined this effort led by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate
Finance Committee.
“Hiding
the details of the real cost of the trillions of dollars in new government
spending and tax increases by using budgetary gimmicks is an attempt to
disguise the true cost and impact the reckless tax and spending spree will have
on the nearly $29 trillion national debt, rising prices, jobs and
inflation.
“There
is currently no score from the Congressional Budget Office on a fully-specified
legislative proposal, but there needs to be full transparency on the proposal
and sunshine on any possible budget gimmicks to understand the true cost.
“Failure
to secure details on the true cost of these spending proposals and offsets, and
to hold full, open committee markups, only serves to erode the American
people’s trust in the Senate as an open and effective institution. We cannot
substitute a secretive process behind closed doors for a public dialogue, nor
rhetorical scores in lieu of true economic impact.”
Ranking
Members from the following committees signed the letter:
·
Mike
Crapo (R-Idaho, Senate Finance Committee)
·
John
Barrasso (R-Wyoming, Senate Energy Committee)
·
John
Boozman (R-Arkansas, Senate Agriculture Committee)
·
Richard
Burr (R-North Carolina, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee)
·
Shelley
Moore Capito (R-West Virginia, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee)
·
Lindsey
O. Graham (R-South Carolina, Senate Budget Committee)
·
Chuck
Grassley (R-Iowa, Senate Judiciary Committee)
·
Jerry
Moran (R-Kansas, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)
·
Lisa
Murkowski (R-Alaska, Senate Indian Affairs Committee)
·
Rand
Paul (R-Kentucky, Senate Small Business Committee)
·
Rob
Portman (R-Ohio, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee)
·
Patrick
Toomey (R-Pennsylvania, Senate Banking Committee)
·
Roger
Wicker (R-Mississippi, Senate Commerce Committee)
Read
the letter
here
or below:
Dear
Leader Schumer,
Hiding
the details of the real cost of the trillions of dollars in new government
spending and tax increases by using budgetary gimmicks is an attempt to
disguise the true cost and impact the reckless tax and spending spree will have
on the nearly $29 trillion national debt, rising prices, jobs and inflation. As
Ranking Members of Senate Committees, we ask that Senate Committee chairs hold
legislative hearings and votes so elected officials and their constituents know
what is being considered and the likely resulting effects, rather than a Senate
substitute which will be put together behind closed-doors and rushed through
the Senate floor.
There
is currently no score from the Congressional Budget Office on a fully-specified
legislative proposal, but there needs to be full transparency on the proposal and
sunshine on any possible budget gimmicks to understand the true cost. New
budget models from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business
demonstrate that if all the proposed spending and revenue provisions are made
permanent, the cost is nearly $4 trillion and the budgetary offsets amount to
$1.5 trillion.
To
properly assess what impact a bill will have on the federal budget, we need the
legislative text to be made public and official scores from the nonpartisan
budget experts —the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on
Taxation—along with full committee consideration and debate. We need estimates
of what the effects of the legislation will be on the federal debt, and on
important economic variables currently weighing on our constituents, such as
jobs and inflation. The Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on
Taxation should testify, and members of the Senate should be allowed to ask
questions of the experts. Committees should have legislative text, open debate,
and, under regular order, allowance for amendments and voting in committees.
From
what we have publicly seen, the proposed crippling and hastily-pasted together
tax hikes will stunt our economic recovery, further impede labor markets, and
punish low- and middle-income workers while doing nothing to dampen ongoing
inflation, supply chain damages, or price hikes on everyday goods and services,
just as our nation attempts to recover from the pandemic. Spending into
heightened inflation in order to secure partisan footholds on policies is
reckless and risky. Tax hikes in early phases of a recovery is malpractice. The
plan under consideration behind closed doors has not been properly debated or
vetted. It is a blueprint to recklessly tax and spend our country into fiscal
ruin and will do long-term damage to our economy.
Legislation
as unprecedented as this should be fully vetted and afforded appropriate
opportunity for review and debate. Failure to secure details on the true cost
of these spending proposals and offsets, and to hold full, open committee
markups, only serves to erode the American people’s trust in the Senate as an
open and effective institution. We cannot substitute a secretive process behind
closed doors for a public dialogue, nor rhetorical scores in lieu of true
economic impact.
-30-