River Bend Times

In Washington, D.C., U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, has criticized the Republicans' budget proposal on the Senate floor. According to Merkley, the proposal would disproportionately benefit billionaires while undermining essential programs for working families.

"This Republican budget slashes programs for families to deliver even more massive tax giveaways to billionaires," Merkley stated. He detailed that the budget plan would lead to $5.3 trillion in unpaid tax cuts over ten years and at least $37 trillion over thirty years.

Merkley further criticized the proposal for increasing the deficit and debt to unsustainable levels. He emphasized that current rules require budgets not to increase deficits beyond ten years, but Republicans purportedly seek to change these rules to sidestep these limitations. "And this Republican budget changes the rules to pretend that $37 trillion costs $0 – destroying the integrity of our federal budget process," Merkley claimed.

According to Merkley, the budget process originally aimed to decrease deficits, supported by bipartisan consensus. The senator believes that Republican actions undermine this integrity. "The Congressional Budget Office must use a current law baseline to calculate the impact of any new law," Merkley explained, criticizing the Republicans' recent efforts to alter rules that have been the standard for decades.

Merkley recounted the evolution of budget processes, emphasizing the significance of the Congressional Budget Office's independent, non-partisan role. He pointed out historical efforts to pass significant policies using a process known as reconciliation, a fast-track method intended for deficit reduction through legislation.

The senator highlighted that historically, the reconciliation process was intended to prevent increasing deficits, a principle he alleges the current Republican proposal violates. "This gimmick would destroy the last shreds of integrity in the budget process to deliver massive tax giveaways to billionaires," he remarked.

Merkley underscored the potential impacts of the budget plan on American families, associating it with increased prices, which he termed "Trumpflation." "This Republican budget resolution opens the door to higher grocery prices — that’s Trumpflation!" he exclaimed. He listed other areas affected, such as healthcare, housing, education, and childcare, suggesting that American families would face higher costs across the board.

He concluded by emphasizing that the budget represents a betrayal of American families and a shift of power away from the people towards billionaires, citing specific individuals involved in influential business sectors. "These billionaires have bought our democracy through massive campaign contributions and dark money," Merkley asserted.

The senator strongly indicated that Democrats will oppose the budget proposal, as he insisted, "Democrats will fight it every step of the way."