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Debt Be Damned: The Fiscal Hawk Hypocrisy Behind the Big Beautiful Bill [1]

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Date: 2025-07-14

They called themselves fiscal hawks. They campaigned on cutting spending, slashing deficits, and defending America from the crushing weight of debt. They shut down the government over budget fights and torpedoed social spending under the banner of fiscal responsibility.

Then they voted for the Big Beautiful Bill—a reckless, multi-trillion-dollar handout to the wealthy that guts social safety nets, torches climate progress, and balloons the national debt by nearly $3.4 trillion.

So much for principles.

The “Big Beautiful Bill,” Donald Trump’s legislative monstrosity signed into law earlier this month, is a staggering contradiction of everything Republicans have claimed to stand for over the past two decades. It includes:

A $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling

Permanent tax cuts for the rich and corporations

Massive rollbacks to Medicaid, SNAP, and student loan relief

Dismantling of green energy investments and climate protections

Billions more in defense and immigration enforcement spending

The Congressional Budget Office and independent analysts estimate the bill will add $2.8–$3.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. That number doesn’t even account for interest.

Yet dozens of Republican lawmakers—many of them elected under the Tea Party banner—cheerfully lined up to support it.

From Debt Warriors to Debt Enablers

Let’s not mince words. These lawmakers weren’t just passive participants—they were vocal crusaders against spending. Many built entire careers railing against debt, warning that deficits would destroy our children’s future.

Here are just a few of the most blatant examples of fiscal hypocrisy:

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) – Famously stormed out of budget talks last year, calling the debt ceiling an “existential crisis.” Then quietly voted yes.

Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) – A Tea Party darling who once swore never to “sell out our grandchildren for government growth.” Apparently they’re for sale now.

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) – Threatened to leave the GOP over fiscal irresponsibility—until Trump snapped his fingers.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) – Previously opposed Medicaid cuts, then voted for a bill that slashes it by 18% .

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) – Denounced student loan forgiveness as reckless spending, but supported tax cuts that benefit the top 1%.

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) – Campaigned on balanced budgets, then backed a $150 billion increase in defense and border funding.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) – Once called the debt ceiling a “joke.” Voted to raise it by $5 trillion. The joke’s on us.

And the Senate wasn’t any better. Republican Senators who joined the stampede include Ron Johnson (WI), Mike Lee (UT), and Rick Scott (FL)—each of whom spent years warning that deficits would destroy America. Now? Crickets.

The Big Lie: Debt Only Matters When Democrats Are in Power

Let’s be clear: these lawmakers aren’t new to Washington. They weren’t blindsided. They didn’t miss the fine print. They voted for this bill knowing full well what it would do.

They made a choice.

They chose tax breaks for the wealthy over support for working families. They chose campaign optics over consistent policy. And they chose party loyalty over the very principles they once claimed were sacred.

It’s not that debt and deficits suddenly stopped mattering. It’s that they never really mattered to them in the first place—at least not when Republicans were the ones writing the checks.

This is the same playbook we saw under George W. Bush and again under Trump’s first term: explode the deficit with tax cuts and military spending, then feign fiscal responsibility the moment a Democrat takes office and proposes investing in healthcare, education, or clean energy.

It’s the same lie. Just repackaged in gold trim and Trump-branded ink.

The Real Cost

What’s especially cruel about the Big Beautiful Bill is not just its price tag—it’s who foots the bill. While billionaires get permanent tax breaks and fossil fuel companies get deregulated, ordinary Americans are left holding the bag:

Millions will lose healthcare access due to Medicaid cuts.

Food insecurity will rise as SNAP benefits are slashed.

Student borrowers face renewed crushing debt.

Clean energy industries and jobs are being dismantled.

And to pay for it all? Borrowed money. Trillions of it. Added straight to the national debt.

Accountability Starts Now

It’s time to stop pretending that Republican leaders care about deficits. If they did, this bill would have been dead on arrival.

Instead, they rubber-stamped one of the most fiscally irresponsible pieces of legislation in modern history—all to please a man who once bragged that he’s “the king of debt.”

The next time one of these lawmakers tries to lecture America about the deficit, remember this vote. Quote it. Print it. Hammer it home. Because they’ve forfeited the right to ever use that argument again.

The real deficit is not in the Treasury. It’s in their integrity.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/14/2333305/-Debt-Be-Damned-The-Fiscal-Hawk-Hypocrisy-Behind-the-Big-Beautiful-Bill?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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