Wichita Standard

Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas has expressed concern over the latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) regarding the nation's fiscal condition. According to Rep. Estes, "The CBO's recently released projections reflect the inescapable fact that the fiscal state of our nation is in terrible condition." He highlighted that the current national debt stands at $36.2 trillion and is expected to rise with an additional $1.9 trillion deficit by the end of 2025, potentially reaching a gross debt of $59.2 trillion within a decade.

Rep. Estes emphasized his commitment to addressing these financial challenges through his work on the Budget and Ways and Means Committees, stating, "We cannot continue to increase the debt burden on our kids and grandkids just to fund the lifestyle we live today."

Additionally, Rep. Estes criticized CBO's reporting accuracy on legislative costs, noting past underestimations such as those related to the Inflation Reduction Act and tax revenue from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. He stressed, "With our debt at an unsustainable level, it's more important than ever that CBO fixes its scoring issues because we are making trillion-dollar decisions based on this analysis."

Rep. Estes has been active in efforts to control federal spending, having cosponsored a balanced budget amendment multiple times and introduced measures aimed at reducing non-defense spending by 1%. In 2023, he helped establish the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum and was appointed to serve on the Budget Committee’s Oversight Task Force.

Throughout his career, Rep. Estes has been recognized for his fiscal responsibility initiatives, including being named a Fiscal Hero of the 118th Congress by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.