House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) was asked on Fox News to comment on the nation’s now more than $40 trillion debt and whether fiscal restraint is on his and his party’s agenda.
Emmer replied: “Uh, it has been. You understand, this didn’t happen overnight. This has been going on for decades. And it’s been an irresponsible handling of the funds, I would argue, for decades.”
Emmer, who has been in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 11 years, added, “And the President, Donald Trump, and the Republicans, are absolutely committed, as I believe our Senate colleagues are too, to reducing that debt and the deficit. And I believe that will be priority number one, when we get through the midterms.”
Ah yes, the huge-but-unspecified GOP spending cuts that are always coming in some future reconciliation bill, or next year, or after the next election.
In the meantime, here’s a $5 trillion tax cut and 40% defense hike. https://t.co/G4VQvZER40
— Jessica Riedl
(@JessicaBRiedl) August 30, 2026
Former Heritage Foundation economist Jessica Riedl responded to Emmer’s comments: “Ah yes, the huge-but-unspecified GOP spending cuts that are always coming in some future reconciliation bill, or next year, or after the next election. In the meantime, here’s a $5 trillion tax cut and 40% defense hike.”
[NOTE: Riedl has also worked as chief economist to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), staff director of the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, a director of budget and spending policy for Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, and as the lead architect of the 10-year deficit-reduction plan for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.]
Riedl added: “Fun fact: the last time a unified GOP government enacted legislation reducing deficits by even 0.1% of GDP was way back in 1954 under President Eisenhower. But I’m sure a HUGE savings bill is coming right after the election. (Of course, Democrats have barely passed any either).”
[NOTE: Emmer was responsible for managing the Republican votes necessary to pass the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office subsequently estimated that the law would increase federal deficits by $3.4 trillion over the 2025–2034 period.]