Top Republican on House Ways and Means urges colleagues to aim for a short-term spending bill

Top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-Tx.) says that the government cannot afford reckless spending with all the resulting inflation and encourages colleagues to go with a short-term spending bill.

"We don't need another government spending spree," Brady said on Wednesday's edition of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "We cannot afford it. Inflation cannot afford it."

"I'm not a fan of a short-term spending bill, but compared to another full year blowout, I think that's the responsible thing to do," he continued. "Starting in February or March, the power of the purse will be shared between Republicans and Democrats. That changes the equation in a major way."

Brady said that the government cannot afford to be irresponsible with money, especially with inflation hitting the American people hard. The Democratic leadership is calling for an omnibus spending bill that will fund all of their projects through the end of the next fiscal year, which ends at the end of September 2023. Republicans want the new GOP-controlled House to have a say in next year's spending and thus favor the short-term spending bill. 

"The economy is in very poor shape. It's really a cruel economy," he said. "We see Americans skipping meals, digging into their retirement savings, delaying retirement itself, looking for extra work and are going in the greatest debt faster than anytime in the last 15 years."

Brady said the GOP's goal when they take back the House next year will be to do the opposite of what the Biden administration is doing.

"You'll see Republicans focus on less government spending, taxes and regulation that drive inflation, more American made energy, reconnecting workers to their jobs, and more innovation that can drive prices down," Brady stated. "So essentially, our focus will be to do the opposite of what President Biden does."