How the Game Works

Let me tell you how the game works in D.C., and why the CBO is one of their favorite weapons.
Politicians don’t use the Congressional Budget Office for truth. They use it as cover. When they want to pass a bill loaded with pork, bailouts, and bureaucratic junk, they massage the…

— MAG🔫1775🇺🇸 (@realMAG1775) June 4, 2025

… CBO numbers to make it look “fiscally responsible.” They cherry-pick assumptions, downplay long-term costs, and slap a bow on it to sell it to the public.

Now flip the script.

When a conservative bill comes up, something like permanent tax cuts, work requirements, or spending caps, they suddenly act like the CBO is the Gospel. They scream:

“The CBO says it will add to the deficit! We can’t afford that!”

Never mind that the CBO doesn’t use dynamic scoring, so it assumes no growth, no behavioral changes, no business investment. It just runs a static model like it's 1985 and calls it fact.

And here’s the kicker: The same politician who just ignored the CBO to pass a trillion dollar spending bill will hide behind the CBO to kill a bill that lets you keep more of your paycheck.

It’s all theater.

The CBO becomes a sword or a shield depending on who’s writing the bill. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the narrative.

Moral of the story?

In Washington, the CBO isn’t a watchdog, it’s a prop. And the swamp knows exactly how to use it.