'Does he know what's in this bill?' CNN panel erupts over Trump budget
CNN's "NewsNight" with Abby Phillip erupted into a heated discussion after the show's host questioned whether President Donald Trump understands the budget bill that he's trying to force Congress to pass.
The version that the House of Representatives was asked to approve Wednesday is substantially different than the version they sent the Senate at the end of May. In all, the Senate's version of the bill increased spending by roughly $400 billion, which caused some fiscal conservatives to distance themselves from it.
On the morning of the vote, Trump posted on Truth Social that the bill is "all about growth" and that it will lead to "an economic renaissance like never before." Trump also claimed that it would "cut the deficit in half," which Phillip pushed back on.
"A lot of his public statements, and private statements for that matter, lead me to wonder: Does he know what is in this bill?" Phillip asked the panel.
Shermichael Singleton, a Republican strategist, responded that the bill appears to be spurring economic growth already. He cited surveys that show business owners are already planning to hire more employees after the first half of the year if it passes.
The conversation got heated after Phillip asked Singleton to explain the bill's impact on the deficit. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will increase the deficit by between $3 trillion and $4 trillion.
Singleton said those estimates are based on a "static" analysis of the bill, which does not take into account future policy changes or economic growth. A "dynamic" analysis of the bill shows that it will reduce the deficit, Singleton said.
"I have not seen any assessment of this bill that suggests that it is going to cut the deficit in half," Phillip said, referring to Trump's earlier statement.
"Republicans have offered that assessment," Singleton responded.