Budget Chairman Calls for Reconciliation 2.0
“Reconciliation 2.0: the most powerful and potent legislative tool in the toolbox for us to fix what's broken.” —Chairman Arrington
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a press conference with the Republican Study Committee, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) called on Congress to pass a second budget reconciliation bill to accelerate economic growth and make life more affordable for working families. The Chairman outlined the goals of reconciliation 2.0: to lower the cost of health care; lock in President Trump’s America First trade agenda; and root out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs to prevent what happened in Minnesota from ever happening again.
Watch Chairman Arrington’s Full Remarks HERE
Remarks as delivered:
"Thank you. Chairman Pfluger, my friend, my neighbor, my fellow West Texan. You had me at hello. Reconciliation 2.0, the most powerful and potent legislative tool in the toolbox for us to fix what's broken, to clean up this mess, and to give our fellow Americans a safer, stronger, more prosperous and more affordable country...
"Look, policies have consequences, and the four years of the Biden-Harris Administration, of total Democratic control, with failed economic policies and unbridled, unprecedented trillions of dollars in deficit spending, pushed our economy to the brink of a sovereign debt crisis, put us in a recessionary situation, and made life unaffordable.
"They lit the fuse on the cost-of-living crisis in this country; we haven't seen this level of unaffordability in almost a half a century. They were paying people not to work. They were giving health care and welfare to people in this country illegally. They were bailing out student loans and union pensions. They were expanding the IRS by tens of billions of dollars. They were taxing our job creators. They had a whole of government assault on the lifeblood of our economy, which is our domestic conventional fuel supply, and the list goes on.
"That was the Molotov cocktail that put us in an economic tailspin and put our families, our working families, in a bad way.
"The American people gave us unified Republican leadership. They gave us Donald Trump, a new CEO, competent leadership. They want common sense policies, and they want to be able to feed their families and pay the bills. We passed the One Big Beautiful Bill. It's big because it was the largest tax cut, spending cut, welfare reform, and energy deregulation in the history of our country. It's beautiful because of its impact on our fellow Americans who are struggling every day because of the disaster, the self-inflicted disaster of the Biden failed economic agenda.
"Look at what's happening. Real wages are up for the first time in four or five years prior to the Biden Administration, because they're outpacing inflation. Core inflation is coming down. Interest rates in the long-term and short-term are coming down. Business investment is up. Consumer spending is still strong. Growth is at 4.3 percent. We put a 2.6 percent assumption in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and you would have thought people went crazy. Are you sure you can achieve 2.6 percent? Growth was 4.3 percent last quarter; the quarter before, 3.8 percent—because policies have consequences, and we created economic freedom.
"Instead of lighting the fuse of inflation with bad policies, we’re lighting the fuse of prosperity with economic freedom. And by the way, the One Big Beautiful Bill was the largest tax refund—$100 billion and another $100 billion in less withholdings. People are putting more money in their pockets.
"Listen, and I'm just talking about the affordability issue. I do think it's the most important issue for November. I think it's the most important issue for the American people. They have total confidence that President Trump's going to secure the border. He's going to enforce the law and keep them safe, and he's going to restore respect on the global stage with peace through strength. The question going into November is, can we accelerate what we're seeing with gas prices coming down, rent coming down, and lower mortgage rates?
"People paid an average of $1,000 more for their monthly mortgage because of the failed policies of the Biden Administration. In just a year of good economic policies, they're paying $200 less.
"All boats will rise on prosperity.
"We have the lowest poverty rate in recorded history from when we put these policies in place in the first Trump Administration. We've got to double down like never before, because we have to dig out of a big hole, and we have to Reverse the Curse. That is what this is about up here. That's why I love these guys, and I commend them for their efforts. And that's why I have confidence that when November comes, life will be better. Quality of life will be better.
"And the American people? We will earn their confidence to keep this unified Republican leadership team in place and continue to do great things for the greatest country in human history."
