Simpson Urges CBO Score Before Vote on Build Back Better

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson along with 204 other Republican House Members sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging that they permit the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to publish a full cost estimate for H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act, before the House of Representatives votes on the legislation.

“It is absurd to think that the House would vote on such a massive piece of legislation before we even know what the price tag is,” said Congressman Simpson.  “If Speaker Pelosi really believes that this bill will cost nothing—which she continues to claim—she should be willing to wait for an official score that supports that claim. Our national debt is already at crisis levels and inflation is higher than it has been in decades. As our economy continues to recover from the pandemic, I hope that the Speaker will put the brakes on this dangerous legislation until its true cost is known.”

The letter notes that to date, the CBO has provided estimates for less than ten percent of the bill reported by the Budget Committee, and based on current estimates, three authorizing committees have exceeded their respective reconciliation targets. According to some estimates, the current form of the reconciliation bill would add as much as $3 trillion to our national debt, which already sits at more than $28 trillion.

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