“The national debt has just surpassed $38 trillion, which is over $110,000 of debt for every American,” tweeted Rep. Jay Obernolte last week. “The interest alone on this enormous debt is now the fastest-growing item in the federal budget. This level of debt threatens our economy, our security, and our country’s future. Congress must work together to rein in out-of-control spending, get our fiscal house back in order, and put our nation back on a sustainable path.”
He is absolutely correct about all of this. Unfortunately, his voting record shows that he’s very much a part of the problem here.
Over the summer, Obernolte voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, a package of tax and spending policies demanded by the president.
On July 1, the Congressional Budget Office warned, “Compared with CBO’s January 2025 baseline budget projections, it would increase deficits over the 2025-2034 period by $3.4 trillion.”
The Committee for a Responsible Budget estimated the bill, as written, will add $4.1 trillion to the national debt. If provisions of the bill are made permanent, the hit would rise to $5.5 trillion.The nonpartisan Tax Foundation explained in July, “Incorporating the changes in interest spending, the OBBBA will increase total deficits over the 2025 through 2034 budget window by $4.9 trillion on a conventional basis or by $3.8 trillion on a dynamic basis.”
So, much like the college student who gets too drunk on a weekend and swears they’ll never do it again, Obernolte has now gone from voting to blow up the national debt to warning that now is the time to rein in out-of-control spending.
Of course, we appreciate a good turnaround story. If Obernolte can stop himself from supporting additional hikes on the national debt, he could emerge as a serious critic of Washington’s tax-and-spend tendencies.
Readers of these pages might recall we made fun of Obernolte in July after be boasted of his stand for cutting $9 billion after voting to add trillions to the national debt. As we said then, “Obernolte was once a sensible Republican voice in Sacramento railing against the fiscal irresponsibility of the Democratic supermajority. And about that he was usually right. But now, in federal office, Obernolte is a participant in fiscal irresponsibility on an even grander scale.”
