House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington on Tuesday detailed how President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” law will help “restore fiscal responsibility” to the U.S., in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Arrington — who represents Texas’ 19th congressional district — told the DCNF that the megabill, which the president signed into law on Friday, consists of a “great set of policies.” He added that Trump’s landmark law will “significantly improve” Americans’ quality of life.
“The [‘big, beautiful’] bill was three years in the making,” Arrington told the DCNF. “When we took over the majority and we got the gavel on the budget committee, we began implementing a fiscal plan to get our fiscal house in order and to change the culture in the Republican conference, where there was a sense of urgency and a commitment to restoring fiscal sanity before it was too late … We tried to educate the members [of Congress] and sound the alarm on how rapidly our nation’s fiscal health was declining. And then we put together a balanced budget a few years ago, and that balanced budget was the blueprint that helped drive the fiscal reforms in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’.”
Arrington’s comments come after the House of Representatives voted 218 to 214 to the pass Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill on July 3, after an overnight session. The president signed the piece of legislation into law at the White House on July 4, stating that he is “creating an economy that delivers wealth for the middle class, a border that is sovereign and secure, and a military that is unmatched, unequaled anywhere in the world.”
Arrington also emphasized that he believes congressional Republicans will be able to build on the “success” of Trump’s sweeping budget and spending bill. Though, Arrington told the DCNF that there is “always more work to be done,” adding that implementing fiscal reforms, balancing the budget and reducing the nation’s “indebtedness” is a “never-ending” process.
“I think that we are going to need to maximize the additional budget reconciliation opportunities that we will have,” Arrington explained to the DCNF. “In fact, we have at least two more in this Congress. So, those are the things we can use to continue the work that we have done and restore the fiscal health of our country.”
Additionally, Arrington praised House Speaker Mike Johnson’s commitment to “fiscal responsibility” during the recent budget reconciliation process, referring to him as a close friend who he is “very proud of.”
“The [House] Speaker — who I know really well, and is one of my closest friends and someone who I am very proud of — I know that Mike Johnson is sincerely and personally committed to fiscal responsibility, and to addressing the unsustainable debt in a meaningful way,” Arrington told the DCNF. “He believes it is one of the greatest threats to our country’s future. So I know he’s been committed. He did a fantastic job of balancing the varied interests and sensitivities within our Congress. I mean, we have a Congress of diverse districts that reflect different economic interests and policy preferences … I mean, you can lump them into two buckets to simplify it, but you’ve got more moderate members, members in swing districts and the conservative wing of the party. I think people had to accept the fact that they weren’t gonna get everything they wanted [in the bill], either side.”
“Everybody had to feel some discomfort, but I think he [Johnson] struck a very delicate balance in a very effective way,” Arrington added.
Additionally, the Texas Republican told the DCNF he believes that Trump was “clearly committed” to helping congressional Republicans address the “out of control” deficit spending in the U.S. throughout the budget reconciliation process.
“But also, I think what he [Trump] did for the conservative wing and for some of us budget hawks is he reminded us that there would be more bites in the apple in terms of cutting spending,” Arrington told the DCNF. “He would also remind us of future rescissions and the revenue coming into the U.S. from foreign countries because of his tariffs … I think the president was great at striking the balance as well, but also reminding conservatives that we needed to maximize the spending cuts in this bill without breaking the balance of the moderates so that we can be successful and continue this work in future reconciliation bills.”
The Budget Committee chairman added that he believes the legislation will allow Americans to “keep more money in their pockets” and better provide for their families.
“This is not just a ‘big’ bill with the largest tax and spending cuts and the largest investments in border security and defense,” Arrington told the DCNF. “It’s ‘beautiful’ because it is going to allow Americans to keep more money in their pockets. After the last few years of a cost of living crisis, they desperately need more money to pay their bills and provide for their families.”
“I think the culture of the Republican Party is changing from the very top down,” Arrington added. “It’s changing in a positive way where we will restore the mantle of fiscal responsibility and our party will demonstrate the kind of political courage and commitment that it will take to put our country on a sustainable fiscal trajectory and not stick our children in a position of historic debt.”
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