Senate Ranking Members Call for Reconciliation Transparency

Republican Committee Leaders Call for Transparent Process to Vet Reckless Tax-and-Spend Legislation

Americans deserve to know what is being considered and the likely resulting effects

NOVEMBER 04, 2021

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and the Republican leaders of the committees that have received reconciliation instructions are calling on Leader Schumer and Senate Committee Chairs to hold legislative hearings and markups with votes on Democrats' reckless taxing and spending legislation. In the letter, the senators highlight the need for the legislative text to be made public and official scores from the nonpartisan budget experts — the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation — along with full committee consideration and debate.

From the letter:

“Hiding the details of the real cost of the trillions of dollars in new government spending and tax increases by using budgetary gimmicks is an attempt to disguise the true cost and impact the reckless tax and spending spree will have on the nearly $29 trillion national debt, rising prices, jobs and inflation.

“There is currently no score from the Congressional Budget Office on a fully-specified legislative proposal, but there needs to be full transparency on the proposal and sunshine on any possible budget gimmicks to understand the true cost.

“Failure to secure details on the true cost of these spending proposals and offsets, and to hold full, open committee markups, only serves to erode the American people's trust in the Senate as an open and effective institution. We cannot substitute a secretive process behind closed doors for a public dialogue, nor rhetorical scores in lieu of true economic impact.”

Ranking Members from the following committees signed the letter:

• Mike Crapo (R-Idaho, Senate Finance Committee)

• John Barrasso (R-Wyoming, Senate Energy Committee)

• John Boozman (R-Arkansas, Senate Agriculture Committee)

• Richard Burr (R-North Carolina, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee)

• Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee)

• Lindsey O. Graham (R-South Carolina, Senate Budget Committee)

• Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa, Senate Judiciary Committee)

• Jerry Moran (R-Kansas, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

• Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska, Senate Indian Affairs Committee)

• Rand Paul (R-Kentucky, Senate Small Business Committee)

• Rob Portman (R-Ohio, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee)

• Patrick Toomey (R-Pennsylvania, Senate Banking Committee)

• Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi, Senate Commerce Committee)

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November 4, 2021

The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Leader Schumer,

Hiding the details of the real cost of the trillions of dollars in new government spending and tax increases by using budgetary gimmicks is an attempt to disguise the true cost and impact the reckless tax and spending spree will have on the nearly $29 trillion national debt, rising prices, jobs and inflation. As Ranking Members of Senate Committees, we ask that Senate Committee chairs hold legislative hearings and votes so elected officials and their constituents know what is being considered and the likely resulting effects, rather than a Senate substitute which will be put together behind closed-doors and rushed through the Senate floor.

There is currently no score from the Congressional Budget Office on a fully-specified legislative proposal, but there needs to be full transparency on the proposal and sunshine on any possible budget gimmicks to understand the true cost. New budget models from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business demonstrate that if all the proposed spending and revenue provisions are made permanent, the cost is nearly $4 trillion and the budgetary offsets amount to $1.5 trillion.

To properly assess what impact a bill will have on the federal budget, we need the legislative text to be made public and official scores from the nonpartisan budget experts — the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation — along with full committee consideration and debate. We need estimates of what the effects of the legislation will be on the federal debt, and on important economic variables currently weighing on our constituents, such as jobs and inflation. The Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation should testify, and members of the Senate should be allowed to ask questions of the experts. Committees should have legislative text, open debate, and, under regular order, allowance for amendments and voting in committees.

From what we have publicly seen, the proposed crippling and hastily-pasted together tax hikes will stunt our economic recovery, further impede labor markets, and punish low- and middle-income workers while doing nothing to dampen ongoing inflation, supply chain damages, or price hikes on everyday goods and services, just as our nation attempts to recover from the pandemic. Spending into heightened inflation in order to secure partisan footholds on policies is reckless and risky. Tax hikes in early phases of a recovery is malpractice. The plan under consideration behind closed doors has not been properly debated or vetted. It is a blueprint to recklessly tax and spend our country into fiscal ruin and will do long-term damage to our economy.

Legislation as unprecedented as this should be fully vetted and afforded appropriate opportunity for review and debate. Failure to secure details on the true cost of these spending proposals and offsets, and to hold full, open committee markups, only serves to erode the American people's trust in the Senate as an open and effective institution. We cannot substitute a secretive process behind closed doors for a public dialogue, nor rhetorical scores in lieu of true economic impact.

Sincerely,

Mike Crapo
U.S. Senator

John Barrasso, M.D.
U.S. Senator

John Boozman
U.S. Senator

Richard Burr
U.S. Senator

Shelley Moore Capito
U.S. Senator

Lindsey O. Graham
U.S. Senator

Charles E. Grassley
U.S. Senator

Jerry Moran
U.S. Senator

Lisa Murkowski
U.S. Senator

Rand Paul
U.S. Senator

Rob Portman
U.S. Senator

Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator

Roger Wicker
U.S. Senator