During 2020 Budget Hearing, Crenshaw Denounces Democrats’ Character Attacks, Clarifies Definition of Budget Cut
WASHINGTON, DC – While questioning Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Russell Vought during a hearing on the President’s 2020 budget proposal, Crenshaw called out Democrats for questioning Republican morals for trying to get the country on a path to responsible spending. Crenshaw went on to clarify the definition of a budget cut versus slowing growth. Despite news reports that programs are being slashed, Vought confirmed that the proposed budget would slow growth to rein in out of control mandatory spending, not cut programs. Crenshaw knows from personal experience that government programs like social security disability insurance must be reformed to ensure they do not frivolously waste taxpayer dollars.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: It’s also really interesting to note this idea that more must always be better, that the bigger the dollar sign is, the bigger your heart is. There’s this notion that if we want to cut back on programs – and in many cases as you noted and we’ll get to this, what a cut really means – but just because you might want to cut down on something that isn’t benefitting the American people that you are now anti-science or anti-healthcare. That is a moral accusation. That’s an accusation against our intentions. That’s not right. We have different views on how we should spend this money. It really is as simple as that.
…what a cut is versus what slowing growth is…Are we actually cutting these programs? You’ve said it over and over again, but I want to clarify, these programs seem to be increasing their budget every single year. Pretty drastically actually.
OMB DIRECTOR RUSSELL VOUGHT: They are, Congressman. We would have, I think, a similar definition of a cut, which is that a dollar amount less than the previous year, not a dollar amount less than a projection from someone from the year before.
CRENSHAW: I would just hope that we could have honest conversations about this because your regular listener, who is watching the news and the lies being told on media that we’re cutting programs, what they’re thinking is ‘hey we’ve spent a $100 on it this year and next year we’re spend $90 on it.’ That’s not true is it?
VOUGHT: No.
CRENSHAW: …I wish people would understand why we might want to reform some of these programs. Social security disability insurance, why would I want to reform that? Maybe because I was eligible for it. I was eligible to get thousands of dollars of taxpayer money as soon as I retired from the military. Federal government told me I should get on that. Military told me I should get on that program. I am not disabled. I have a thing going on here, kind of a disability, but I am not disabled. I should not get that money, but that program says I should. There is something wrong there. I’m perfectly capable of working.
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