Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt on Sunday criticized the Democratic Build Back Better Act for being filled with gimmicks, “The Hill” reported.
While appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” chief Washington correspondent Mike Emanuel asked Blunt if he believed the expanded child tax credit, which is set to expire in a few days, is worth saving, with Emanuel noting that it has been estimated to significantly reduce child poverty.
“Well, I think this is one of the problems and one of the gimmicks in the bill, frankly,” Blunt said. He argued that the bill provides funds to families that don’t require the benefits of the child tax credit because they already earn a high income.
“Families that make $150,000 for instance, aren’t in poverty in Missouri,” Blunt said. “I don’t think they’re in poverty almost anywhere in the United States, and it’s a big mistake to assume they are.”
Under the Biden spending plan, those families would receive thousands of dollars per child each year, costing taxpayers hundreds of billions in additional taxes.
Emanuel pressed Blunt further on the child tax credit, pointing to arguments that it would stimulate the economy and enhance financial security for families. Blunt responded by painting the child tax credit as being an indication of what Democrats were aiming to do with the Build Back Better Act, pointing out that the expanded payments included in the American Rescue Plan initially were flagged as temporary.
“That’s exactly the kind of gimmicks the Build Back Better —- or what some my friends called the Build Back Broker package — does,” he said. “They assume that once you start all of these programs, you’ll never be willing to stop them.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, hopes Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin stays firm and stops Joe Biden’s “crazy” Build Back Better bill from passing. He also accused the president of failing the country over the economy, after the Bureau of Economic Analysis revealed inflation has risen to a four-decade high of 5.7 percent.
“The American people would like safe streets, they’d like affordable gas and they’d like freedom,” Jordan said. “Instead, what Biden’s given them is his record crime, record inflation and Dr. Fauci. You pick the policy area, they’ve done it wrong.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
