Rep. Cantor Blasts CBO, Despite Calling Previous Analysis "The Turning Point" In Health Care Debate

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate Finance Committee's health reform bill will cost $829 billion over 10 years and will "result in a net reduction in federal budget deficits of $81 billion over the 2010-2019 period."  This is good news for reform advocates, who can now push a bill that would reduce the deficit and cost less than the $900 billion projected by President Obama. 

However, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) isn't buying it.  Shortly after the CBO released its estimate, Cantor tweeted:

Cantor's hypocrisy regarding the CBO has been well-documented on this site.  It is nonetheless important to remember that just a few months ago Cantor was treating the CBO's analysis of another health care proposal as gospel. 

Indeed, after the CBO estimated that the Senate HELP committee's bill would cost $1 trillion, Cantor declared "the turning point in the health care debate."  But a week later, when the office released a projection unfavorable to Republicans who had been calling cap-and-trade a massive energy tax, Cantor suddenly decided CBO was "losing its credibility."

Cantor has made it clear that he won't support anything -- save for a war -- that President Obama proposes.  And his willingness to selectively praise or pan the CBO is just further evidence that Cantor is more concerned with partisan politics than doing what's good for the country.