When Bill Clinton took office as President, some in Congress were shocked to learn his knowledge about the federal budget. How could this be, a kid from Hope, Arkansas knew more than many in Congress who worked with the budget for many years? There lies the secret why the government and its people did so well fiscally and economically on his watch. Twenty two years later, the GOP, the media, Garret Graves and Steve Scalise are still ignorant on the federal budget.
In a New Orleans Advocate article dated 6/1 titled "House oks bill to avoid default" by four Associated Press writers, they quote GOP representative Graves as saying: "Republicans were fighting for budget cuts after Democrats piled on to deficits with extra spending." Graves statement shows he is not serious about deficit spending he is ignorant. Deficits were not piled on by any extra spending or any spending at all. Federal spending at the end of the Trump/GOP's last fiscal year was $6.8 trillion, a record. Federal spending at the end of Biden's first fiscal year that ended 9/30/22 was $6.2 trillion a reduction in federal spending of 8% as published by the CBO. And when it comes to deficit spending, the Trump/GOP administration holds the record. The federal deficit in Trump's last fiscal year came in at $2.7 trillion. The budget deficit in Biden's first fiscal year came in at $1.3 trillion, a 50% reduction. Plus in just 4 fiscal years under the Trump/GOP crowd, federal spending crossed the $4,5 and 6 trillion mark. The very first administration to exceed the trillion mark three times. It has actually been the GOP who has piled on the deficits and the national debt with extra spending.
Scalise demonstrates his ignorance of the federal budget in the article and was quoted as saying. "For once in a long, long time, Washington is actually going to spend less money next year as it did this year and that's a reform that all of us can support." That statement is false and displays Scalise's ignorance on the federal budget. As stated in the paragraph above Washington spent less money last fiscal year than it did the previous fiscal year which was Trump and the GOP's last fiscal year. The reduction was 8%. So it has not been a long, long time ago since spending was less. And since 1946. year to year federal spending declined 8 times. It was down 3 times on Truman's watch in 1946, 1947 and 1948. It was down 3 times on Obama's watch in 2010, 2012 and 2013. It was down one time on Biden's watch in 2022. It was down one time on Eisenhower's watch in 1955. Scalise's ignorance goes back a long, long way.
President Biden and past Democratic administrations have "walked the talk" of fiscal responsibility. The GOP has not. They recently proved that under Trump and that was not a long, long time ago Mr. Scalise.
This commentary was written by Joe Lorio.
