With an uncharacteristic feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson has taken clear sides in President Donald Trump’s breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk.
The leader of the Republican House and a dedicated supporter of Trump expressed that Musk’s disapproval of the GOP’s extensive tax and budget policy bill will not upset the plan, and he minimized Musk’s impact on the GOP-led Congress.
“I didn’t create a piece of legislation aiming to satisfy the wealthiest individual in the world,” Johnson mentioned during ABC’s “This Week.” “Our goal is to assist hardworking Americans striving to support their families and manage their expenses,” Johnson emphasized.
The speaker responded with arguments long held by Republicans: They believe that reducing taxes and cutting expenditures would promote economic growth, subsequently decreasing deficits. However, annual deficits and the national debt increased during the tenures of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, as well as during Trump’s initial presidency, even after significant tax reductions.
Russell Vought, who leads the White House Office of Budget and Management, said on Fox News Sunday that CBO analysts base their models of “artificial baselines.” Because the 2017 tax law set the lower rates to expire, CBO’s cost estimates, Vought argued, presuming a return to the higher rates before that law went into effect.
Vought acknowledged CBO’s charge from Congress is to analyse legislation and current law as it is written. But he said the office could issue additional analyses, implying it would be friendlier to GOP goals. Asked whether the White House would ask for alternative estimates, Vought again put the burden on CBO, repeating that congressional rules allow the office to publish more analysis.
Other Republicans, meanwhile, approached the Trump-Musk battle cautiously.
“As a former professional fighter, I learned a long time ago, don’t get between two fighters,” said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He even compared the two billionaire businessmen to a married couple.
“President Trump is a friend of mine but I don’t need to get, I can have friends that have disagreements,” Mullin said. “My wife and I dearly love each other and every now and then, well actually quite often, sometimes she disagrees with me, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t stay focused on what’s best for our family. Right now, there may be a disagreement but we’re laser focused on what is best for the American people.”
