Chairman Arrington Delivers Opening Remarks to Rules Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) delivered the following remarks before the House Rules Committee as it considers H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Watch Chairman Arrington’s full opening remarks HERE.
Find highlights of key moments below.
Opening Remarks as Delivered:
“I appreciate the opportunity to be back before this Committee—a little like Groundhog Day, because we've been covering this subject matter, which is important to pour over for the American people.
I have to say, the people of West Texas sent me here with a clear mission—especially in this last Congress— to reverse the curse of the last four years. The lawlessness and chaos at the border that has devastated my home state of Texas, and probably communities in every state in the country. The open border has allowed crime, dangerous criminals, and drugs to flood into our communities. It is the most imminent national security threat to the country.
The last president did not faithfully uphold the laws of the land, nor did he take seriously his constitutional mission to provide for a common defense. That has to change. It changed on day one with the new Commander in Chief, and we aim to give him the tools and resources to continue to do that job.
Secondly, they all suffered from the roughly 21 percent regressive inflation tax. Why? Because of Democrats' failed policies and their wild, unbridled $8 trillion in deficit spending.
I'm sure we'll have some good back and forth.
But let me be clear: the American people and our great economy have suffered as a result of paying people not to work, of taxing and regulating small businesses, and, of course, spending us into 40-year-high inflation. That hasn't gone over well for the people in West Texas, so they sent me here to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. That's the mandate they gave our president. That's the mission I'm on, and I'm going to work every day to that end.
I believe this bill gets us closer to that vision. I believe that the most important thing we can do is equip our sons and daughters to be safe and successful in providing a common defense. We're long overdue to invest in military readiness vis-à-vis our adversaries.
There are lots of things that go into unleashing economic prosperity, but a centerpiece of that is pro-growth tax policy. We had the highest levels of investment, job creation, and repatriation of capital after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — not to mention the lowest poverty rates and unemployment rates on record.
This was after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which, by the way, the people in the bottom half — and the bottom 10 percent — did far better than the top half and top 10 percent in terms of wages, in terms of income. And the top 10 percent — or the top 1 percent — paid a greater share of taxes after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
So, I think so much of this is misleading nonsense.
My last comment is this. I heard quotes about the CBO and 7.8 million people being ripped off the safety net. Let me tell you who those people are, according to the nonpartisan CBO: people here illegally, people who are ineligible, people with access to other subsidized government health care programs, and people who are work-capable but refuse to work.
That’s not me saying it, Mr. Ranking Member — I assure you, it’s the CBO, the same source you all quote ad nauseam about us ripping away the safety net.
Listen, the American people are for what we're doing. They're on our side. They don't want their tax dollars going to waste, fraud, and abuse. They want to help people, and they want programs that support their fellow Americans into the future. But none of this is sustainable.
And you're right about the debt — we should do more. This is an area where we have to do a lot more. It's going to undermine all of it— the economy, our security, our leadership in the world, my children’s future. Both parties have come up woefully short in that regard.”
MORE FROM THE HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE
Read H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill HERE.
