As the GOP Tax Bill was moving through the approval process, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan essentially said one of the main talking points around the bill…was a lie:
Appearing on NBC’s “TODAY” show, Ryan, R-Wis., was asked if the tax cuts would add to the deficit at all because of the growth the GOP expects it to generate.
“Nobody knows the answer to that question because that’s in the future,” he replied, “but what we do know is that this will increase economic growth.” [emphasis mine]
This appears at odds with months of messaging from Republican leaders and the White House, however, who have argued that the tax cuts will act as “rocket fuel” for the economy, producing so much growth that the federal government will recoup any initial revenue losses.
“Not only will this tax plan pay for itself, but it will pay down debt,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier this year, as the tax plan was being negotiated.
The Treasury Department even released a summary this month of exactly how the tax cuts would pay for themselves — a one page document that was quickly panned by economists.
“It’s about faster growth and upward mobility. It’s about a strong economy that makes all of us stronger and healthier.” Ryan said Tuesday on the House floor. “Those are the effects, those are the benefits of tax reform.”
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