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Published On: Sun, Jun 8th, 2025

Russ Vought: CBO Many Times Can’t See The Forest For The Trees

White House Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought disputed the Congressional Budget Office’s assessment that the “Big, Beautiful” budget reconciliation package will not reduce spending. “All of the watchdogs use an artificial baseline… in which they assume that all spending is eternal,” he said during an interview this morning on “FOX News Sunday.” “When you adjust for that baseline… it is $ 1.4 trillion in reduced deficits and debt. That’s why this is such a paramount fiscally responsible bill, notwithstanding the watchdogs here in town,” he said.

SHANNO BREAM, FOX NEWS: So let’s start with some of the assessments about what the Big Beautiful Bill will do. Reuters reports this: “The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday estimated the bill will add about $ 2.4 trillion to the $ 36.2 trillion U.S. debt pile… The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said on Wednesday that, when taking interest payments into account, the bill’s cost would rise to $ 3 trillion over a decade, or to $ 5 trillion if temporary tax cuts were made permanent.” Are they wrong? OMB DIRECTOR RUSS VOUGHT: They are wrong. And that’s because all of the watchdogs use an artificial baseline-that is part of the way that Washington, D.C. does business here-in which they assume that all spending is eternal. But tax relief in 2017 was to sunset, and as a result, when you just extend tax relief, it looks like this major cost. Of course, that’s not a cost-if it were not to occur, it would be a major tax increase to the American people. And so when you adjust for that baseline, that big game, and this is putting aside the economic growth that we think they also understate, when you adjust for that, it is $ 1.4 trillion in reduced deficits and debt. That’s why this is such a paramount fiscally responsible bill, notwithstanding the watchdogs here in town. SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS: Okay. To the point of the watchdogs: CBO director Phil Swagel-this is what the Wall Street Journal reports about him: What the CBO is doing is what it is supposed to do. According to Swagel, the agency measures proposals using methods required by Congress. It isn’t advocating for or against any policy. CBO’s post-2017 forecasts were correct, Swagel says. And by the way, he’s a Republican. So, what is the issue then with the CBO? If they’re using methods Congress tells them they have to use, are those methods wrong? OMB DIRECTOR RUSS VOUGHT: The baseline that they have to go against does require what was just articulated. However, the CBO is not precluded from putting out the most accurate analysis they want to, so they can put out a score and tell the world, Look, these are the parameters for which we have to judge. But they also –and have– can put out alternative analysis that says, This is the current policy baseline; this is what the bill will do as a result of that. They don’t have to be asked to do that kind of analysis. And when we look at the fact that they often just can’t see the forest for the trees. Just to give you an example: just last year they said that the Biden Border Security Bill was going to reduce the deficit. I mean, no one-when you think about what’s happened over the last few days or just in general over the last several years with the Biden border catastrophe, would articulate that somehow all of these individuals, the invasion that we’re facing, is somehow going to reduce the deficit. In fact, all of these people are going to be on welfare programs and lead to great costs. We know that the American people know that intuitively, and the CBO often gets those kinds of things wrong. SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS: Okay. They stand by their forecast. Would you have to request an alternative forecast if you wanted one, or is that something they would have to do? OMB DIRECTOR RUSS VOUGHT: They are not precluded from putting out as much information as they want to make sure the American people understand and get it right. SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS: Could you ask for a different assessment than what they’ve done? OMB DIRECTOR RUSS VOUGHT: Sure-but it’s not required. This is something that the CBO, again, has the ability to do: put out the most accurate information possible to ensure the public is informed, rather than forcing watchdogs to go off artificial baselines.

You can see the full interview here:


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