The price tag of the proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation spending bill will likely come down this week through compromise, but paying for it will still "crush our economy," Rep. Dan Meuser told Newsmax Monday.
"The so-called 'pay-fors' are 15% to 18% taxes on small business," the Pennsylvania Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "We saw how the corporate net income tax is going up 5%. Small business is going to go up a legitimate 15%, so [with] many small businesses throughout my district and throughout America, this is crushing their ability to be competitive."
Other taxes will affect families and "enormously increase inflation," he added.
Meuser pointed out that Democrats remain divided on the spending bill, which addresses healthcare, the climate, education, and more, and would be largely paid for by raising taxes on the wealthy and on corporations.
There are some Democrats who won't pass the lower, $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill without the reconciliation bill being included, but others who won't vote for the reconciliation bill with the infrastructure bill, "so they really put themselves in a place of dependency on each other," said Meuser.
He added that the Democrats' "level of mismanagement here is incredible" as they've not only allowed the bills to come to this level, but also because the nation's fiscal year ends on Thursday, "so they really created more chaos than they already had."
The Democrats also want to enact a continuing resolution to go through December to keep the government running, but Meuser said a debt ceiling number would have to be determined.
However, Meuser said the $3.5 trillion "monstrosity of a bill" actually comes closer to a $10 trillion measure, but President Joe Biden is claiming that is coming at "zero cost somehow or another."
"Then, Mr. President, why not issue a budget ceiling at today's level?" said Meuser. "Why can't you put a number on it? Why is it going to be close to $35 trillion, $36 trillion, or $37 trillion? [That] is where they're going with this."
Meuser also on Monday discussed the upcoming testimony of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who will be before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday to speak about the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"The truth would be nice and an understanding of precisely what occurred," said Meuser. "Some things are classified, but on tragedies that have already occurred, what could be classified? The American people need to be aware we've been having a few so-called classified meetings lately, the American people should be aware of some of the discussions."
Milley has been more forthcoming in his comments, but Austin "is out there doing his best to sell garbage, and you know you have to in order to sell garbage, you have to make it out to be something it's not," said Meuser. "Hopefully there'll be more forthcoming under oath."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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