'I don't understand': CNN host puts GOP lawmaker on the spot over national debt
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) confounded CNN host John Berman over his justification for passing President Donald Trump's spending bill after claiming he was against adding to the national debt.
"You just talked about your opposition to deficit spending," Berman said. "The CBO — Congressional Budget Office — just put out figures that this will add $2.4 trillion to the national debt."
Sessions said that the struggle over the "one big beautiful bill" isn't "a perfect battle" for Republicans, but it has to be passed.
"But, I don't understand," Berman interjected. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, congressman, but I don't understand — you talk about the bottom line. The CBO says the bottom line is literally...$2.4 trillion additional debt. This is a bill that you support, but you're also against adding to the debt. How can that be?"
Sessions put the onus on the Senate, saying, "We're going to find out what the Senate wants to do, and then we're going to make the final vote."
"Is Elon Musk right? Is this putting the United States in debt slavery?" Berman asked.
"Well, if we actually go to $2.4 trillion after what the Senate does, then I think we're going to have to look at how we're going to come in and do something about that," Sessions answered.
Sessions continued, "I think there are a whole lot of ways for us to do this, John. It's a scorecard you look at, and I do, too. And while I'm not happy with it, I did compromise my vote on state and local taxes, and I did it for my colleagues and for people who live in these high tax states...So, I compromise myself. Isn't that kind of what we want us to do? Yes. But do we want to have a debt? No, we don't."
"It's going to be an interesting summer," Berman concluded.