House Republicans are pushing for a floor-wide vote on President Joe Biden’s budget proposal, a move that would force Democrats to record their position on the progressive plan he unveiled this week.
Biden released his plan Thursday, and some projections say it would lead to nearly $5 trillion in tax increases on corporations and wealthy Americans and lead to increased costs for everyone. Democratic lawmakers rejected that as unacceptable and siphoned off billions of dollars aimed at justice, climate change and other initiatives they say aren’t right for American families.
Some went a step further and told Fox News Digital that they want President Kevin McCarthy to bring Biden’s plan to the floor of the House.
“I absolutely believe the president’s budget should go to a floor vote. I’d be interested to see how unpopular $2.2 trillion in additional spending is,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, RS.D., small business leader – Focused at the Main Street Caucus.
Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital, “I think it would be a good idea to see if Democrats also support this tax-and-spend budget proposal because the Democrats Parliament in four years, they have never proposed their own budget – never.”
MCCARTHY SLAMS BIDEN’S BUDGET PROPOSAL: ‘TOTALLY UNBEARABLE’
President Joe Biden’s budget includes more than $2 trillion in new taxes on the wealthy and big business that the White House says will help reduce the deficit over 10 years
In addition to raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, Biden called for a 25% minimum tax on billionaires and a tax increase for people in the top income bracket.
The president’s budget included nearly $2 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency to “advance racial equity and ensure environmental justice” and “more than $3 billion to advance gender equality and equity worldwide,” according to with the outline of the White House proposal. It sought billions more for climate change initiatives.
Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., led calls for a vote on Biden’s budget Thursday afternoon.
“I hope we bring Biden’s budget to the floor, because Americans deserve to know where their representatives stand on this radical agenda to bankrupt our nation. Whoever votes for these failed policies is not serious about solving our fiscal crisis,” Hearn said. press release on Thursday.
YELLEN ANSWERS WHETHER IRS WILL CONSIDER SHEET, GENDER IN AUDITS AS PART OF BIDEN ‘EQUITY’ PROMOTION
WASHINGTON – MARCH 9: Speaker Jason Smith, R-Mo., said voting on Biden’s tax and spending initiatives is a “great idea” (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
An internal RSC memo obtained by Fox News Digital points out to its members that “climate change” is mentioned in the budget 42 times, “LGBTQI” is mentioned seven times and “diversity” appears six times.
The memo points members to a Tax Foundation study that argues that Biden’s proposed payroll tax hike on Americans making more than $400,000 would kill “more than 145,000 jobs.”
BIDEN’S TAX PLAN BOOSTS THE RICH: HERE’S WHAT’S IN IT
The head of the RSC’s budget task force, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Fox News Digital, “President Biden’s bloated budget should be put on the floor for a vote so that every Democrat is on the record saying whether supports more taxes and inflation-fueled debt for American families.”
In previous years under GOP control, Congress has held votes to show a lack of support for a Democratic president’s budget plan. A decade ago, two of President Obama’s budget proposals received zero votes in the Senate, although alternative Republican budgets offered to guide spending decisions for the year also failed to pass.
A vote this year would give Republicans a chance to connect their Democratic counterparts — particularly those in moderate districts who expect to face stiff competition in 2024 — with Biden’s progressive agenda.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, RS.D., leader of the Main Street Caucus, seconded the call for a vote on the House floor. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital that he believes Biden’s budget, if passed, would put a heavy financial burden on “families and small businesses,” make it harder for farmers to make a living and “threatens the long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Republicans certainly oppose these reckless policies, but I fear that my Democratic colleagues are openly embracing them and should be asked to vote, in writing, in support of massive tax increases and costly spending,” Feenstra said.
Not all Republicans agree with the idea of putting the Biden plan to a vote. House Budget Committee member Rep. Bob Goode, R-Va., told Fox News Digital he doesn’t see a need for a House-wide vote.
“There is no reason for the House to vote on whether or not to add gas to the raging fiscal fire,” Good said.
A senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital, “The policies contained in Biden’s budget couldn’t even pass a Democratic-led Congress, and they won’t pass a Republican-controlled Congress.”