LDS Families Know Fiscal Responsibility — This Tax Bill Isn’t It

COMMENTARY

As the House prepares for a final vote on President Donald Trump’s sweeping reconciliation package, it’s worth pausing to ask a basic question: What, exactly, makes a bill fiscally responsible?

As someone who values limited government, strong families and wise stewardship, I understand the instinct behind this legislation. America’s debt trajectory is unsustainable.

Many of us are rightly concerned that Washington spends too much without asking hard questions about trade-offs or outcomes. Reining in waste and expanding opportunity are goals worth pursuing.

But as this bill moves forward, I worry we’ve mistaken aggressive cost-cutting for true fiscal responsibility — and in doing so, we risk doing real harm to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, especially children.

To be clear, there are parts of this bill I’m deeply grateful for. The adjustment of the child tax credit to account for inflation, for example, is a welcome step. Conservatives and progressives alike have long recognized that strong families are the backbone of a strong society, and the child tax credit helps working parents meet basic needs, reduces child poverty and affirms the dignity of family life.

I’m also grateful to lawmakers like Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, for working to ensure some continuity and clarity for clean energy tax credits and rural innovation — work that reflects both long-term economic thinking and responsible environmental care.

But taken as a whole, this package is deeply imbalanced.

The same bill that adds approximately $3.3 trillion to the national debt also cuts health care and food assistance for millions of Americans. According to one estimate, 17 million people could lose their health coverage. Cuts to SNAP, even after negotiations, would still remove food support from legal immigrants, stay-at-home parents, those who care for the elderly and families working multiple jobs just to stay afloat.

True conservatism doesn’t mean ignoring the human consequences of policy. It means asking tough questions, yes — but also acting with prudence, humility and compassion.

If the goal is to promote personal responsibility, why are we punishing parents who’ve made the decision to stay home and raise their children? If we value strong communities, why are we pulling support from refugees and asylum seekers who have already made legal, often harrowing, journeys to become part of the American story?

And if the goal is to reduce government overreach and inefficiency, why does this bill simultaneously create new penalties, new exclusions and layers of administrative complexity that make it harder for families to access basic help when they need it most?

The truth is, we don’t need to choose between being responsible with public money and being responsive to human need. Good governance should mean living within our means and protecting the vulnerable. 

I know many Republican leaders have resisted provisions that would have gone even further — like the proposed excise tax on clean energy or attempts to roll back all Medicaid-expansion funding. I especially appreciated Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s candor when she said she “struggled mightily” with the impact of the bill on those who are barely getting by. That kind of moral wrestling is what we should want in our leaders.

But that moral wrestling needs to be paired with moral action. 

I worry that in the rush to secure a win before July 4, Congress is running ahead of itself. No bill this big and this consequential should be passed without careful reflection and honest debate. It’s okay to take a breath, hit pause and fix what needs fixing. The country — and this coalition — will be stronger for it.

In our own homes, many of us manage budgets. We know what it means to be frugal. But we also know the difference between cutting costs and cutting corners. No parent would balance a household budget by skipping meals for the youngest child or canceling doctor’s appointments for a sick relative.

We know that some things — some people — are worth protecting, even when money is tight. Congress should remember that.

Let’s build a strong economy, yes. But let’s also build a society that cares for families, honors human dignity and protects the next generation.

That’s the kind of responsibility America truly needs.

Emma Petty Addams is the co-executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government. She can be reached by email.