CRFB Reacts to $106 Billion of Supplemental Funding

Today, the White House requested $106 billion of supplemental appropriations to address the conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza as well as border security and other international concerns. The White House indicated that it will submit a second supplemental request focused on child care, firefighter pay, internet access, and other issues.

The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:

We live in dangerous times, and this package includes funding for real emergencies that merit serious consideration. At the same time, we should avoid worsening our precarious fiscal situation, which weakens our ability to respond to emergencies on an ongoing basis. 

Fiscal responsibility absolutely does not mean holding off from funding emergencies and important priorities. But it does mean we should avoid adding their costs to the national debt when possible. Given the current economic and fiscal situation, it makes sense to offset the costs of even the legitimate emergency spending over a reasonable period of time. 

Policymakers should also avoid turning an emergency supplemental bill into a grab-bag of new priorities. Emergency funding should be for provisions that are temporary, necessary, sudden, urgent, and unforeseen. Policies that don’t meet these criteria should be considered through the regular process and subject to normal budget rules.

Ultimately, failing to address our high and rising debt will leave us far less capable of responding to new emergencies while presenting growing economic and national security risks. As Congress works to enact emergency appropriations, they should also begin the process of reining in our unsustainably rising debt.

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For more information, please contact Matt Klucher, Communciations Manager, at klucher@crfb.org.