Democrats including President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the White House press office, have been insisting all along that the multitrillion-dollar “Build Back Better” bill would in fact cost “zero”:
The cost of the Build Back Better Agenda — in terms of adding to the deficit — is zero.
It’s paid for because big corporations and the very wealthy will start paying their fair share.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 18, 2021
Speaker Pelosi just Falsely claimed the House Democrats' $5.5 TRILLION package will cost "zero" dollars.
This is a LIE. pic.twitter.com/mbehAUreAk
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) September 29, 2021
REPORTER: "The price tag isn't ACTUALLY zero. These new programs do cost money, right? So why not level with American voters and say there is a cost here, but they're aiming to do it without raising the deficit?"
JEAN-PIERRE: "The price tag for this legislation is zero dollars." pic.twitter.com/OrysJgfdMS
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 21, 2021
Republicans wanted the Congressional Budget Office to look into that, and what a surprise… the cost would be quite a bit more than “zero”:
CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation project the budgetary effects, including the effects on interest costs, of a modified version of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act, that would make various policies permanent rather than temporary. https://t.co/PFScfS5sAl
— U.S. CBO (@USCBO) December 10, 2021
CBO finds that, if the child tax credit, child care provisions, SALT deduction, health insurance subsidies and more in Build Back Better were made permanent instead of for limited timeline, the bill would add $3.0 trillion to the debt over next decade, instead of $0.2 trillion. https://t.co/BzYWiLAVbe
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) December 10, 2021
#BREAKING: Federal deficits could increase by $3 trillion over the next decade if temporary provisions are made permanent.
The numbers were requested by Republicans, who have criticized the BBB as being riddled with budgetary gimmicks.https://t.co/yNYxtpEEOk
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 10, 2021
If you strip out the Democrats’ budget gimmicks, the CBO projects Biden’s Build Back Broke Act would “increase the deficit by $3.0 trillion over the 2022–2031 period.”
So much for Biden insisting his plan costs $0.https://t.co/vyhhikmRHy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 10, 2021
Democrats say they want these programs to be permanent. When their bill is scored accordingly over the full decade window/stripping away the BS gimmicks they embedded to game the score, CBO finds the true cost is $3 trillion in new debt — an insanely far cry from “zero dollars.” https://t.co/LyN64IOAp9
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) December 10, 2021
Well, color us shocked!
This can’t be; it’s all “free”. 😏 https://t.co/OuZBbLEkvU
— PixieSS 🇺🇸☕️ 🍿🌰🏈 (@pixiejss) December 10, 2021
Not… Zero? https://t.co/KAm9cTiTax pic.twitter.com/a51HMRXVCU
— Brian Waukesha Goodlife 🇺🇲 pronouns .45acp/9mm (@BrianGoodlife) December 10, 2021
iTs PaId FoR tHoUgH https://t.co/lV5BeVxITB
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) December 10, 2021
That doesn’t sound like the zero cost legislation we were promised https://t.co/JCwf5Y6XuS
— jordy (@j_spals) December 10, 2021
Whatever the Biden administration’s spin is in response to the CBO report, you can be sure it’ll be even more gaslighting.