How Two Shameless Congressional Deceptions Bury America in Debt
Two major tactics must be exposed in Washington’s disgraceful accounting efforts to accounting tricks that hide the true cost of government policies and mislead taxpayers about the fiscal impact of legislation: 1) sunsetting provisions that make temporary policies appear less costly; and 2) the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) baseline assumptions that inflate spending projections as if they’re free. These practices obscure the reality of our growing $34 trillion national debt, and Americans deserve transparency about how their money is spent.
Consider first the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which significantly reduced tax rates for individuals and businesses for five years, set to expire in 2025. For budgeting purposes, these lower rates were temporary, with the assumption that rates would revert to higher levels in years six through ten, generating increased revenue to offset earlier deficits.
Republicans claim extending these cuts won’t “cost” trillions because the cuts are already in place—like saying a permanent pay cut doesn’t count if it was temporary first! This is a scam that’d get any business sued for fraud. By pretending extensions aren’t new spending, politicians dodge the truth: extending these cuts in year six effectively adds another tax cut for the next five years, potentially adding $4 trillion to our $34 trillion national debt over a decade. This is disastrous for long-term debt and deficit projections, as it undermines the expected revenue increase baked into years six through ten.
If policymakers had anticipated this extension, they would have needed offsetting revenue measures to mitigate the fiscal impact. Yet, economically, the lower rates have fueled growth, and reverting to higher rates could harm the economy, even though extending the cuts worsens the deficit. Both parties have been duplicitous, prioritizing short-term gains over fiscal honesty, and taxpayers deserve clarity on this trade-off. American taxpayers deserve honesty and transparency—either pay for tax cuts with real spending reductions or admit you’re piling on debt that crushes individual freedom.
Secondly, there’s the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) baseline nonsense. The CBO creates a budget baseline that projects future spending based on current laws and automatic increases, treating these as the default. For example, if Medicaid costs are set to jump 4% next year, that’s baked into the “baseline” as if it’s free money. Slow that growth to 2%? Congress calls it a “cut,” even though spending still rises! This twisted logic hides how fast government spending balloons—our debt’s soaring because automatic increases are treated as normal. Meanwhile, tax revenue gets no such free pass; it’s just counted as it comes. This double standard lets politicians pretend they’re frugal while the budget grows unchecked, stealing more of our hard-earned cash to fund their pet projects.
As a longtime tax professional, these deceptions—temporary tax cuts and fake spending “cuts”—are obvious to me but not necessarily to most of the public who pay taxes. Government overreach thrives on this deception, rigging the system to grow bigger while dodging accountability. The CBO’s 10-year window and baseline games let politicians kick the can down the road, leaving us with a debt bomb. Want real change? Demand permanent, fully funded tax cuts and a budget that starts from zero every year. No more hiding behind baselines or sunset clauses. Balancing the budget is impossible without reforming entitlements like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which are driving unsustainable spending growth. Both parties’ refusal to confront this reality makes a one-way trip to fiscal oblivion almost inevitable. Americans should receive the truth rather than smokescreens about every dollar spent—because it’s your money, not theirs.