The Senate Must Scrap the Big Beautiful Budget and Start Over
Refusing to grapple with America’s debt problem is bad enough. Maneuvering to make it even bigger is unforgivable.
Who’s counting?
Photographer: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Can the Senate forestall a looming fiscal breakdown? The House has passed a grossly irresponsible budget bill that threatens to add between $3 trillion and $5 trillion to public borrowing over the next 10 years, accelerating an already unsustainable accumulation of debt. Senators owe it to voters to call a halt and insist on a comprehensive reexamination of fiscal policy.
Right now, this seems like demanding a miracle. Republicans in the upper chamber face the same pressures as their colleagues in the House to unite around a plan that gives something to each of their party’s factions. Economic conservatives want tax relief for businesses; MAGA populists want to cut taxes for the low-paid and expand support for families with children; immigration hawks want to build a border wall and arrest more migrants; national-security hawks want to spend more on defense. And voters at large want lower taxes without compromising entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. The answer? Do all of the above, then disguise the fiscal consequences.