Biden White House claims CBO doesn't have 'experience' to weigh in on aspect of Build Back Better agenda
Bates also said that the 'CBO fiscal data so far lines up' with the White House’s estimates
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Biden White House claimed that the Congressional Budget Office doesn’t have the "experience" to weigh in on the president’s Build Back Better agenda.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates made the claim while speaking to a gaggle of reporters during an Air Force One flight to Rochester, New Hampshire.
The president traveled to New Hampshire on Tuesday to promote his Build Back Better agenda after he signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law a day prior.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about his Build Back Better agenda and the bipartisan infrastructure deal during a speech from the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 28, 2021. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
"The CBO does not have experience analyzing revenue amounts gained from tracking down wealthy tax cheats who are taking advantage of every honest taxpayer," Bates said.
"Last night, reporters directly asked key Democratic House members — whose views run the gambit, including moderates, liberals, folks in between," he continued. "They universally said this was not an issue at all."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bates also said that the "CBO fiscal data so far lines up" with the White House’s estimates.
The CBO is a nonpartisan body that impartially studies the economic impact of legislation proposed to Congress and assigns bills a score.
U.S. President Joe Biden smiles during his remarks before signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S. November 15, 2021. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Bates quickly defended his statement online after igniting a firestorm on Twitter Tuesday, posting his own tweets and retweeting accounts in support of his claim.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White House press secretary Jen Psaki took shots at the previous administration regarding a "walk away" from a CBO score.
"Watching Mullaney try to walk away from CBO score and explain budget outline is awkward and uncomfortable to watch," Psaki tweeted in 2017.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pauses while speaking during the daily press briefing at the White House October 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. Earlier on Tuesday, President Joe Biden met virtually with G20 leaders to discuss Afghanistan. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Jesse Lee, who currently serves as the senior adviser for communications at the National Economic Council, also took shots at the Trump administration over the CBO, saying, "We will be in court to force the Administration to disclose their deliberations on undermining/ eliminating the CBO."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The tweets from Bates come after the president signed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law.
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Biden is now touting the trillion-dollar package after its passage following a poor election performance at the beginning of the month.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The infrastructure package is one of two major legislative proposals that Biden is pushing through Congress, the other being the heavily controversial reconciliation package.
The White House did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.