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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) voted against the hypocritical Republican effort to amend the Constitution and balance the federal budget offered by the party which voted to add trillions to our national debt in the last year alone.

“If Republicans — who control every lever of the federal government — truly wanted to balance the federal budget, they could do so without changing the Constitution,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “Instead, they’ve chosen to explode our national debt by giving tax cuts to billionaires while seriously debating sending more money to the Pentagon for Trump’s war in Iran. Republicans don’t suddenly get to gaslight the American people and ask that we forget what they stand for and who they prioritize with their power. Republicans should focus on being responsible with our tax dollars before passing meaningless, hypocritical messaging bills.”

In the past year, Trump and Republicans signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law, adding an estimated over $4.1 trillion to our national debt, with some experts believing this value could be higher.

Despite their grandstanding as "deficit hawks,” 99.1% of House Republicans - including the Republican proposing the constitutional amendment - voted to add trillions to the debt. This includes members of the ultraconservative, right-wing House Freedom Caucus (HFC), who repeatedly made empty threats to vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill out of “concerns about the amount of money it adds to the national debt.” The HFC even circulated a memo criticizing the legislation in which the top concern was the increased deficits.

The chair of the Freedom Caucus, Representative Andy Harris, said the legislation "marks a major victory for the American people, President Donald Trump, and the House Freedom Caucus. From day one, HFC Members worked closely with the President, his team, congressional leadership, and conservative colleagues to strengthen this reconciliation package—making it more fiscally responsible and more conservative at every step.” This comes after he made several empty threats to derail the legislation.