House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith pushed back Thursday on Newsmax against criticism from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and billionaire Elon Musk, saying deeper federal spending cuts are possible — but only with the support of a majority in both chambers.
Rep. Smith, R-Mo., defended the scope of proposed spending cuts delivering nearly $1.7 trillion in mandatory savings in House Republicans' major economic package, telling critics like Paul that further reductions must come with political consensus.
Appearing on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Smith highlighted that the House bill already includes sweeping cuts. "In the Ways and Means Committee alone, we cut more than $1 trillion in tax policies, including $200 billion of EV tax credits," Smith said. "We cut more than a half $1 trillion of the Green New Deal tax scam. We did that in the Ways and Means Committee."
Pressed on whether deeper cuts are feasible — as Paul and Musk have urged — Smith said it's not a question of willingness but math.
"Can we cut more? Absolutely. I wish we could," Smith said. "But we can only cut more if we can get 217 other people in the House to join us. And also, any senator — whether it's Rand Paul or whatever senator it is — they need to get 50 other members of their Senate" to agree.
"If we do not pass this bill, there will not be $1 in spending cuts, and it will be the largest tax increase in the history of America," he added. "We need to continue to cut and cut and cut. I would be fine to cut as much as we can, but we have to have the necessary votes in order to do it because the Democrats aren't going to help us."
The legislative fight comes as President Donald Trump's sweeping economic package — dubbed by the administration as the "one big, beautiful bill" — hits turbulence in the Senate. Paul and others have threatened to oppose the bill, citing concerns over insufficient fiscal restraint.
Smith challenged Paul to bring his own coalition together if he wants more aggressive cuts.
"If Rand Paul figures out a way to cut trillions more dollars than what we did, try to have him convince his 50 other senators to go along with him," Smith said. "I was able to pass a bill out of the House that cut $1.69 trillion. The Senate now needs to either add to it or at least maintain what we cut."
The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where at least two Republican senators have reportedly signaled plans to vote no, according to Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who warned colleagues during a closed-door meeting Wednesday that one more defection would threaten to derail the legislation, The Hill reported.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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