In deciding whether to vote for the tax and spending package now sitting before the Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) says he's been asking himself a simple question: Does the bill increase the federal deficit next year?
"The answer, without question, is that this bill will grow the deficit," Paul told his fellow senators on Sunday afternoon.
Most budget projections in Washington operate on a 10-year window, which is useful for long-term policymaking—not all fiscal consequences of a new law are apparent in the first year after it is passed. Unfortunately, as Paul points out, the 10-year budget window also creates opportunities for lawmakers to load up bills like this one with gimmicks designed to hide the true cost.
