'I believe that was you sir': CNN host debunks Republican congressman's claim to his face
CNN host Brianna Keilar and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on CNN on July 2, 2025 (Image: Screengrab via CNN / YouTube)
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), once a vocal advocate for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) transparency, reversed course, calling the agency “very partisan” during a CNN interview Wednesday.
He dismissed its latest estimates on President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” even as host Briana Keilar reminded him of his own January 2024 effort to require mandatory House readings of CBO projections.
The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) analysis of the sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBBA), propelled into the spotlight during a contentious CNN segment Wednesday.
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When Rep. Tim Burchett (R‑Tenn.) disputed the CBO estimate., host Brianna Keilar asked him: “You’re taking issue with the CBO estimate?"
”The office is very partisan," Burchett said.
The host then reminded him of his own past support for CBO transparency. “So in January 2024, there was a Republican who trusted the CBO so much that they reintroduced a resolution to require the house clerk to read the CBO estimate of any bill. I believe that was you, sir," she said.
"Is that right?" Keilar asked. "That's correct," he replied, but went on to say that it was irrelevant because the resolution never passed.
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Burchett had said moments earlier that he was "firmly undecided" on the bill. When asked what the president said that made him lean in favor of the legislation, the Tennessee Republican said, "He talked about the economic output we would have that was not in the CBP scores."
Burchett accused the media of trying to "scare America by telling millions of people will be cut off this thing. "You're talking about people who are here illegally," he said.
Watch the segment below, or by clicking this link.
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