As Republicans scramble on Capitol Hill to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Newsmax on Wednesday that the legislation must eventually pass so Americans don't "feel the pinch" of a massive tax increase.
"Ultimately, the most important thing is, by extending these tax cuts, middle class and working class Americans are going to continue to have more money in their pockets," Roberts said on "Wake Up America." "It's that simple. If this bill does not pass – and if it doesn't pass, say, in the next couple of weeks – then you're going to see those Americans start to behave in a way that suggests the bill isn't going to pass. That, coupled with some lingering uncertainty about what exactly the tariff regime will be over the next couple of economic quarters, I think is the recipe for a real economic problem.
"But Heritage believes the opposite is going to happen. We're optimistic about this bill, we're optimistic about its impacts, and we think that there actually could be a Trump economic boom by the end of this calendar year, the beginning of next, if, in fact, this bill gets passed. That boom is going to be felt by everyday hardworking Americans. Obviously, other people who are heavy investors in the stock market may feel it as well, but I can tell you, Donald Trump is zealously focused every day on benefiting working class and middle class Americans."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Wednesday that Republican leadership and GOP lawmakers from large blue states struck a deal to raise the state and local tax (SALT) deduction to $40,000 in the budget reconciliation bill. The resistance of blue state Republicans had threatened to sink the passage of the spending package, which Trump has signaled is paramount to funding his agenda.
Roberts compared the current situation in Congress to wanting "all the bells and whistles" in a new purchase at a car dealership and said that Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., could be correct in his prediction that the measure will not pass the House on Wednesday.
"We want to make sure that people who are receiving Medicaid actually are eligible for the program, [that] they are people who need that kind of transitory help, rather than people who are illegal aliens or able-bodied Americans," Roberts said. "We want to maximize tax increases. Frankly, we want to minimize what is a bad policy, which is SALT. All of that to say, just like if we were at the car dealership, you're going to have to reach a compromise. We understand that at Heritage.
"My policy colleagues have been really helpful with all of the different teams, from House leadership to the White House to the Freedom Caucus. We are convinced that this is going to happen. It may be that Andy Harris is correct about timing, but obviously, the sooner this bill gets passed, the better off the American people will be."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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