It was easier to rail against tax breaks than it was to get them repealed. Key areas of welfare spending had supporters even in the Republican ranks. At the same time the Republican plans to expand the army by 10 percent and raise the navy to 355 fighting ships would increase military spending, the largest element of discretionary spending, by $683 billion, or 12 percent, over the decade to 2027.73 Rather than shrinking big government, the main effect of Republican fiscal tactics was likely to be a further reduction in America’s already deeply inadequate tax base. Following the tax cuts, the
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