White House Dodges Calls For Cost Analysis Of Biden’s Spending Plan

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged calls for an official cost analysis of President Joe Biden’s spending plans, which the administration has repeatedly insisted “costs zero dollars.”

Jean-Pierre once again argued that the bill is “paid for” in response to questions at Thursday’s press briefing. Reporters pressed her on whether Biden should move forward with the bill even as Democrats in the House call for an official cost analysis. (RELATED: Biden Repeats Whopper That His Multi-Trillion-Dollar Agenda Will Cost $0)

“Some House Democrats have demanded that the legislation receive an official cost analysis before the House takes it up for a vote. Does the White House think it’s wise to move forward with a vote before members have a firm understanding of what’s in it and how it will be paid for?” a reporter asked.

“First of all, the president has been very clear —He wants to get this moving — there’s an urgency, [and] members of both chambers have been very clear about getting this done,” Jean-Pierre responded.

“The Build Back Better Act is paid for by having big corporations and the wealthiest taxpayers pay their fair share,” she continued. “The Treasury posted a blog this morning detailing estimates from the administration and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) … where it released the topline of what it’s gonna look like.”

WATCH:

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not released an official analysis of what Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar spending plan would cost in the long run.

Biden and numerous other White House officials have repeatedly claimed that his spending plan “costs zero dollars” thanks to the pay-fors included in the bill. Watchdog organizations have disagreed, however. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Biden’s agenda will require the U.S. to borrow roughly $2.4 trillion, while the tax hikes included in the bill would only cover for $1.1 trillion. (RELATED: Biden Defends His Administration’s Record Amid Low Approval Numbers, Multiple Crises)

Nope: The net cost is still zero because we raise more than enough revenue to pay for every investment without raising taxes on anyone making less than $400k. https://t.co/3gKp6H3O5K

— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) October 28, 2021

Moderate Democrats in the House have called for more time to inspect Biden’s legislation before bringing it up for a vote. Democratic Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy wrote along with other members of the Blue Dog Coalition a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting 72 hours to read the bill further.

“While we understand the needs of the nation are great, we believe our job as legislators is to provide the due diligence required to properly serve our constituents,” Murphy wrote in the letter, according to The Washington Post.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases