Adding to the deficit

GOP hardliners warn about adding to the deficit if domestic policy bill is passed

From CNN’s Alison Main, Manu Raju and Casey Riddle

Some conservative hardliners are warning about the potential pitfalls in the domestic policy bill House Speaker Mike Johnson is looking to push to the floor tonight.

GOP Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia acknowledged that the bill would add to the deficit, but implied that it may be Republicans’ only choice to pass Trump’s agenda.

“I would love to have everything that I want, and as you know, I’m a deficit hawk, but I can’t not pass this and then expect something better to happen,” he said.

When asked about the nonpartisan analysis that said the bill could add $3.8 trillion over eight years, McCormick said, “It’s going to. Absolutely. It’s not as good as I want it to be, but if the Democrats took control of the bill, it would be bigger.”

Another GOP hardliner, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, argued the legislation “spends more money … than the status quo” and “actually hurts the deficits,” adding it sets a bad precedent for future lawmakers.

“If they follow our example, they’ll increase spending on their watch, and they’ll promise some future Congress we’ll cut spending, and that’s how we wind up so far in debt,” Davidson said.

He said if Johnson brings the bill to the House floor tonight, as he’s said he wants to, “the bill’s gonna have problems.”