House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington appeared on Fox News’ The Faulkner Focus to discuss recent economic trends and the need for health care cost reform. During the interview, Arrington emphasized what he described as positive developments in the U.S. economy and outlined his party’s approach to affordability.
“We're not just promoting affordability, like the Unaffordable Care Act or promoting reducing inflation, like the quote ‘Inflation Reduction Act.’ We're actually doing something about it. We said if past was prologue, we would see the economy growing, we'd see wages go up, we’d see business investments, and we're seeing all of the above,” Arrington said.
He noted that mortgage rates have decreased, resulting in lower average payments for families. He also pointed out that both long-term and short-term interest rates are declining, inflation is stable, unemployment remains low, and wages are now rising faster than inflation. According to Arrington, this has led to increased confidence among Americans.
“So, there's greater confidence, greater hope. And wait until next year — $350 billion in refund checks on account of the tax cuts, and you'll have less withholdings in the next tax year, so people will again have more take-home income,” he added.
Arrington addressed health care costs by criticizing certain COVID-era subsidies. “Let me start with: stop throwing taxpayer — hard-earned taxpayer — good money after bad by extending a layer of COVID-era, fraud-ridden subsidies that have not worked, wasted a bunch of money — by the way, the GAO — Government Accountability Office — in their recent bombshell report said tens of thousands of Social Security numbers of dead people have been used to draw down these subsidies that are not going to the people — not dead people or alive people. They’re going to insurance companies.”
He cited Congressional Budget Office data indicating over six million individuals enrolled in programs for which they are ineligible and criticized subsidy structures benefiting high-income earners.
“You’ve got, according to CBO, nonpartisan, 6 million-plus people who are ineligible on that program. Not to mention, the way it was structured by Democrats is it's paying taxpayer subsidies for people making half a million dollars or more. That program should die a very unnatural death,” Arrington stated.
Addressing waste and fraud within government spending on health care programs was another focus during his appearance.
“Look at what's happening with Tim Walz in Minnesota. Soaking the system, and building these terrible mouse traps that made health care unaffordable for every American while it's leaking like a sieve with waste and fraud. And that was the federal government, by the way — upwards of $500 billion a year in fraud,” he said.
Arrington claimed Republicans had succeeded in eliminating one trillion dollars from wasteful spending despite opposition from Democrats.
“What did Republicans do? Root out waste, fraud, and abuse by a trillion dollars. The Democrats fought us every step of the way in the Big Beautiful Bill, and now they're proposing that this thing — this Obamacare expansion — is somehow going to save money and make health care affordable. Baloney. Baloney.”
He concluded: “Let's do the things that we know will actually make life better and make health care more affordable.”
