House Budget Committee chair Jody Arrington urges 3% deficit-to-GDP target, cites cuts and reconciliation to meet goal
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Summary
Rep. Jody Arrington, chair of the House Committee on the Budget, outlined a plan to reduce annual deficits from roughly 6% of GDP to 3% within ten years, citing spending restraint, targeting improper payments and use of reconciliation; he said a House vote could come quickly but would require a rules waiver.
Jody Arrington, chair of the House Committee on the Budget, told a broadcast interview the committee is considering a strict 3% deficit-to-GDP target and a glide path to get there within a decade.
Arrington said the committee has held discretionary spending flat for four years and is pursuing measures he described as ‘‘pro-growth’’ to ‘‘bend the curve’’ on federal spending. "Political will is probably the biggest deficit in Washington DC," he said, arguing that enforcement and cuts to waste and improper payments are central to any credible plan.
The proposal, as described by Arrington, would move the federal deficit from an estimated roughly 6% of GDP down to 3% while the economy grows faster than deficit spending and inflation. He said balancing in 10 years would require reductions on the order of what he described as the package in a prior "big beautiful bill," which he said would need to be sustained over a decade to reach balance.
Arrington cited watchdog estimates of about $180 billion in annual improper payments and said the earned-income tax credit "loses 30¢ on the dollar," naming those as examples of programs he believes could be tightened to offset priority spending. He also cited roughly $2 trillion in near-term balances and a $39 trillion national debt figure while arguing the scale of the problem makes ambitious targets necessary.
On the political path, Arrington said he expected there would be members from both parties who would back a measure establishing a deficit-to-GDP benchmark. "We've never had, I don't think in the 50 years, we have Democrat support for establishing a measure of success at deficits to GDP and a goal of 3% in 10 years," he said. He added that, if the House votes, a rule would likely have to be waived to move the measure quickly.
Arrington also discussed using budget reconciliation to package priorities such as military supplements and immigration enforcement funding. He said the prior "big beautiful bill" included tens of billions for deportation and enforcement and suggested reconciliation could be used to extend or reallocate those resources.
He briefly endorsed procedural reform to reduce shutdowns, describing a bill he said would require lawmakers to remain until funding is approved. Throughout the interview, Arrington framed the plan as dependent on spending reforms and enforcing programs to reduce improper payments rather than on tax increases.
No formal vote or committee action occurred during the interview; Arrington said he hoped a vote could happen quickly but did not identify a specific calendar date.
