The Build Back Bureaucracy bill blessedly has stalled in the Senate, ending President Biden’s plans for a vote before Christmas.
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday he thinks the bill is “dead forever, and let me tell you why: because Joe Manchin has said he’s not going to vote for a bill that will add to the deficit.”
Sen. Graham, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, had asked the Congressional Budget Office to score the full cost of the bill without the tricks, gimmicks, and cutoffs that disguise the true spending in BBB.
CBO found that the full cost would be nearly $5 trillion, not the advertised $1.75 trillion, and would therefore add $3 trillion to the deficit. Sen. Manchin repeatedly has said he will not support the bill if it adds to the deficit and further fuels inflation.
We wrote earlier that “this is the hill to fight on,” and Senate leaders will continue to try to push it through next year. But for now, we have a respite and more time to educate the American people about the consequences of a bill that would turn America into a European welfare state.
A Christmas blessing indeed.
And, as we end the year, I wanted to thank you for your support for the Galen Institute during these and so many other battles over the years.
Hard as it is to believe, the Galen Institute has been working for 25 years to defend and advance health freedom.
With our wonderful friend and ally, Ann Fitzgerald, we have produced a 2021 annual report that also highlights major milestones over this quarter century—from the creation of the Health Policy Consensus Group, to fighting Obamacare, to the launch of our Health Care Choices plan and to testifying before Congress four times in just a few weeks about the dangers of a single-payer, government-run health system.
You can view the annual report here. You’ll see the timeline on pages 4-7, including lots of pictures of younger versions of all of us.
So a blessed Christmas, Hannukah, and new year to all of you, and thank you for your friendship and support over our 25 year history. Together we have made and are making a difference in this crucial front in the never-ending battle for freedom.
