It's funny how Republican leaders, and even Michael Steele over at the RNC, continue to claim that the Congressional Budget Office has no idea what it's talking about when CBO says that the health care reform passed by Congress last year will actually save hundreds of billions of dollars. Don't believe CBO, they keep telling us. Yet, just a little over a year ago, it was Boehner and Cantor who were quoting CBO in an effort to slam Democrats:
House Republicans Relying On CBO ReportsThe extremists running the Republican party don't believe in facts. If they can't find a budget number somewhere in the Bible, it isn't real to them. Well, that is, unless they're attacking Democrats - then they'll do whatever it takes. They can't have it both ways. Either Boehner and Cantor get to use CBO's numbers or they get to vilify CBO. Which one is it?
GOP Rep. John Boehner Claimed CBO Estimates Showed Democrats Were Out Of Control On Spending. “Today’s reports confirm what the White House has been trying to hide: the Democrats’ out-of-control spending binge is burying our children and grandchildren under a mountain of unsustainable debt. Instead of putting the brakes on Washington’s spending habits as they promised they’d do, Democrats have stepped on the accelerator and spent taxpayer dollars with reckless abandon all year, refusing to make tough choices and putting all the sacrifice on future generations. That’s not leadership; it’s negligence. The costly government-run health care plan put forth by President Obama and Speaker Pelosi is just the latest in a long line of expensive Democratic experiments that will add to the deficit, raise taxes on families and small businesses, and cost more American jobs. “ (Boehner Statement on Federal Deficit Projections, 8/25/09)
Boehner Claimed CBO Director Confirmed Democrats’ Claims On Health Care Were “Pure Fiction.” Americans are concerned about the rising costs of health care, but instead of alleviating those fears, the Democrats government takeover will drive health care costs even higher. The Director of the Congressional Budget Office today confirmed that the Democrats’ government-run plan will make health care more costly than ever, making clear that one of the Democrats’ chief talking points is pure fiction. Are Democrats in Congress listening? Is the President listening? Americans pay too much for health care already. Why should Washington consider a plan that will force them to pay even more? (Boehner Statement, 7/16/09)
GOP Rep. Eric Cantor Claimed CBO Report Blew A Hole In Democrats’ Reason For Health Care Reform. CANTOR: Well, you know, as you suggest, the president came out today and insisted that the House act quickly on a health care reform proposal that they have proposed to push through this month. But, you know, the latest news that we have had released yesterday was, the Congressional Budget Office came out with a statement that, in fact, the Democrats' plan does nothing to arrest the surge in health care costs in this country, so essentially blowing a hole in the reason for why we would be doing this in the first place. (FOX News, 7/20/09)
