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House Budget Committee member warns tax law could strip health coverage from 15 million, urges OMB director to testify
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Summary
A member of the House Budget Committee told the Congressional Budget Office that recent tax legislation will cause an estimated 15 million Americans to lose health coverage over the next year, and urged the Office of Management and Budget director to appear before the committee for oversight.
A member of the House Budget Committee used opening remarks at a budget hearing to warn that recent tax legislation will cause major health-care losses and to press the Office of Management and Budget to make its director available for oversight.
Speaker 1, a member of the House Budget Committee, thanked Director Philip Swagel and the Congressional Budget Office staff for their work, saying their role is 'the unsung work of government.' He added, "It is important to remember, however, it is not you, and it is no one at CBO that is the cause of 15,000,000 Americans losing their health care over the next year." The member attributed that projected coverage loss to a Republican-passed tax bill enacted earlier this year.
The warning was framed as part of a broader critique of recent congressional policy choices. The member said that the tax legislation — which he said had been marketed under a now-abandoned nickname — will be responsible for "the biggest loss of health care in American history" over the coming year. He also cited rising everyday costs, saying staples including beef, groceries, coffee and electricity have risen over the last 12 months and that families that currently pay about $500 a month on exchange coverage could see premiums near $1,000 by Jan. 1.
The speaker praised the CBO’s role in producing objective analyses but said oversight should focus on executive-branch officials and policy authors. "Where is the OMB director? Where is Russ Vought?" the member asked, noting that previous OMB directors have routinely testified before the committee. He said the committee should schedule the OMB director to testify 'in short order' and flagged concerns about a White House agenda referred to in the transcript as 'Project 2025.'
The remarks closed with two personnel announcements: the member said two committee colleagues plan to retire at the end of the term and named Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman and a colleague identified in the transcript only as 'Jody,' offering personal congratulations and praise for their service.
The hearing continued without a recorded vote on the matters raised; the member's statements were framed as opening remarks and calls for future oversight rather than formal committee action.
