Blue Dog Adam Gray Slams GOP Spending Bill – “It’s the economy, stupid!”

In a new op-ed, Congressman Adam Gray and his fellow Blue Dogs called out the GOP Tax Scam that will add $4 trillion to the national debt, ripping away food assistance and health coverage from Central Valley families all to give tax hand outs to the ultra-wealthy.

As a member of the Blue Dog Democrat Coalition, Gray is fighting every day for bipartisan and fiscally responsible solutions to curb inflation, lower costs for working families, and extend tax cuts to those who need them most. 

Read more below…

• Although the Republicans’ reconciliation proposal is certainly big — so big it would add over $4 trillion to our national debt — it is by no means beautiful.
• There is no way to hide the ugly reality of this bill. It allows for $2.8 trillion in new borrowing over the 10-year budget window, adds $3.3 trillion to the already more than $36 trillion national debt, and cuts over $700 billion from federal health care spending, primarily Medicaid.
• As we know all too well, excessive borrowing leads to inflation and drives up interest rates, making it harder for Americans to finance a home, start a business, and put food on the table.
• In order to hand out tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy, the Republican reconciliation package would make devastating cuts to food assistance programs, health coverage, and other federal resources that hard-working Americans rely on to make ends meet. 
• Is it so important to our colleagues across the aisle to give a handout to their mega-wealthy buddies that they would strap everyday Americans with even more crushing debt?
• The American people know perfectly well how debt adds up. Our constituents have to balance their budgets every month — why can’t the federal government do the same?
• Since our coalition was founded in the 1990s, the cornerstone of the Blue Dogs’ work has been our relentless focus on fiscal responsibility…Now, as then, Blue Dogs know that the American people have one demand for their legislators as prices continue to rise and reckless fiscal policy threatens their livelihoods: “It’s the economy, stupid!”
• As this cry goes unanswered by a majority in Congress that proposes to drive our national debt to truly harrowing heights, Americans who work hard to pay their bills and take care of their families are losing confidence in their government.
• The Blue Dogs’ vision to solve this problem is proving that our government can work… There’s another way forward: a bipartisan, commonsense way that pays down our debt while extending tax cuts to working Americans who need them most. Evidently, our offers to Republican leadership to work together on this fell on deaf ears this time.
• Americans are eager for change, and we remain committed to using a steady hand to deliver pragmatic policies that most Americans agree on. 

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