Tom McClintock Sends Message To GOP Holdouts Of Reconciliation Bill_ 'The Common Good Is Clearly Served'

Forbes Breaking News

On Friday, at a House Budget Committee markup of 'One Big Beautiful Bill', Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) spoke about the importance of passing the Republican legislation.

Transcript

00:00I thank the gentleman from Texas and now recognize my friend, Mr. Tom McClintock from California

00:07for three minutes.

00:08Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I share the disappointment expressed by some of our Republican colleagues

00:13that there's so much more reform that could have been and should have been made in this

00:18reconciliation bill.

00:20But as Benjamin Franklin reminded the Constitutional Convention, when you assemble a group of people

00:26to benefit from their collective wisdom, you will also get their collective folly.

00:31He asked them, from such an assembly can perfection be expected?

00:36He noted that the principal difference between the Catholic and Anglican Church was that the

00:41Catholic Church was infallible and the Anglican Church was never wrong.

00:46But he reminded them, as sure as we may be of our own perfection and infallibility, we

00:52must all doubt a little of that infallibility if we will ever be able to come together for

00:57the common good.

00:59And the common good is clearly served by this bill, with all of its imperfections and disappointments.

01:05The only economic indicator that matters is how people answer this question next year,

01:10are you better off today than you were two years ago?

01:14This bill provides much of the tax and regulatory relief that is needed to revive the American

01:19economy, but it has to be put in place now if it is to have time to work.

01:25By this time next year, Americans could be enjoying one of the most explosive periods of growth

01:29in our history.

01:31Only those who remember what it was like to wake up in Reagan's morning in America can

01:36know how exciting and joyful that feels.

01:40Are we to sacrifice all of that in the quixotic quest for perfection?

01:45This is not the end of the fiscal reforms necessary to restore our nation's solvency, but rather

01:51the first step.

01:53The day after this bill becomes law, we will begin work on the 2026 Budget Act and the next

01:59reconciliation bill that will offer the next step toward enacting additional spending reforms.

02:06But if we falter in taking this first step, we can't get to the next one.

02:11We will waste the summer squabbling and fuming to the delight of the Democrats and to the

02:17despair of the American people.

02:20If we succeed, we can then build on that success in the months ahead, adding additional spending

02:25reforms, a task that we've made easier by a prosperous and expanding economy and an electorate

02:31that can taste the success in their own lives and fortunes.

02:35As Lincoln said, it's not can any of us imagine better, but can we all do better.

02:43He said, we can't escape history, for we will either nobly save or meanly lose the last best

02:48hope of mankind.

02:49He said, we must disenthrall ourselves and then we will save our country.

02:56Let's do that today.

02:58I yield back.

02:59Let's do that.

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