Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., told Newsmax on Thursday that the wide-ranging tax and domestic policy bill still under consideration by the Senate is "a good start" that still needs more spending cuts.
Budd told "Wake Up America," "The Senate has a real appetite for these cuts and codifying the [Department of Government Efficiency's] efforts."
He added, "Again, we're very proud of what they've found, but I'd say it's a good start. It's just the beginning. Nine billion dollars — that's a lot of money. But unfortunately in the federal government, there's so much waste, fraud, and abuse [that] we've got to do a lot more than that."
When asked if the Senate would be able to pass the bill before the July 4 deadline, Budd said, "I don't know about July 4," saying, "We're going to work as fast as we can" to get "this thing across the finish line."
Budd said, "We have to pass it. It's a big bill, but it's up to us to make it beautiful because it's not there yet."
He noted that the bill contains "way too much spending. It does have a debt extension on there, but I have never voted for a debt increase … in my eight years of being in elected office here."
Budd said, "The great people from North Carolina didn't send me here to increase the deficit. Unfortunately, that's what [the current bill] does."
He said the bill would allow for an increase of "$7.2 trillion, and we don't take in that much revenue, and you can't tax people more."
Budd said that despite these concerns, senators must pass the legislation to avoid "the largest tax increase in American history."
He added, "So when I talk to people all over the 100 counties in North Carolina, they're not saying they have so much extra money that they want to send it to the federal government. So we need some more fiscal restraint here for the people back home in North Carolina and the other great states."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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