U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released a statement in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) annual Budget and Economic Outlook for 2026 to 2036. The report outlines projections for federal spending, revenues, deficits, and economic conditions over the next decade.
Merkley criticized recent Republican policies and legislation, attributing rising national debt and financial challenges for working families to actions taken by former President Trump and Republican lawmakers. He said, “Today’s economic outlook report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office could not be more clear: Trump and Republicans spent the past year making it hard for working families to get ahead while adding trillions of dollars to our national debt. We are already seeing the ramifications of the Big, Ugly Betrayal law where millions of Americans will be forced off of their health care, millions of children will go hungry, and our deficit will explode – all to fund tax giveaways for the wealthiest Americans. In addition, Trump’s chaotic tariff policy is driving up costs and leaving hardworking Americans worse off.”
Merkley stated that over a ten-year period, a major Republican bill would add $4.7 trillion to federal debt and increase the nation’s debt-to-GDP ratio to 118%. He called this level of debt “reckless and irresponsible.” According to Merkley: “Over 10 years, the Republican Big, Ugly Betrayal bill alone will add $4.7 trillion to the federal debt, increasing our debt to 118% of GDP. This is an overwhelming amount of debt that Republicans – with the passage of a single bill – are foisting onto the shoulders of the next generation. It is reckless and irresponsible.”
He also addressed concerns from constituents about rising prices: “As we continue to hear from working families across the country, they have made it clear that we must bring down prices and tackle the cost-of-living crisis now. But at every turn, Trump’s chaotic tariffs are increasing the cost of everyday products that families rely on and hurting our economic stability. Republicans continue to ignore the pleas of hardworking families while rewarding their billionaire donors with tax breaks.”
Merkley concluded his statement by calling for policy changes: “This families lose, billionaires win agenda has to end. Republicans cannot continue to make working Americans sicker and poorer while giving handouts to billionaires. It’s past time we build an economy where families thrive, and billionaires pay their fair share,” said Ranking Member Merkley.
The CBO's report serves as a key reference point in ongoing debates over fiscal policy in Congress.
