Watch Bernie Sanders Provide Republicans a History Lesson on Deficits

Vermont’s Independent Senator, Bernie Sanders, stood up for the American people and middle-class in the midst of a budget meeting dominated by Republican austerity economics.

“It’s important to understand the past as we go forward,”he said, singling out the Iraq War, Medicare Part D, and the reckless Bush Tax cuts as the main drivers behind America’s deficit spending.

“Is it fair to say that the reason we began to go into deficit was because we went to war in Iraq, which by the time we take care of the last veteran is going to cost us about $3 trillion?” Sanders asked Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf during Wednesday’s meeting. “How do we pay for that war?”

Elmendorf began explaining that Congress actually cut taxes during that period, until Sanders cut in.

“You’re not suggesting that in the middle of a war which cost $3 trillion Congress actually cut taxes for the rich?” he asked, sarcastically.

Incredibly, House Budget Committee Chairman and Tea Party “darling” Paul Ryan found his question particularly funny, interrupting with a chuckle, “Bernie, that’s fine. Come on.”

But Elmendorf, smiling as well, finished explaining that Congress cut taxes “for a lot of people” and spent a lot of money overseas.

Sanders, known for his hard-hitting progressive views and unabated honesty, replied:

“The reason we’re in a deficit today is two unpaid wars, Medicare Part D program, unpaid for, large tax breaks, $1 trillion of which went to the wealthy,” he said. “As we go forward to figure out where we want to be as priorities, you’ve got to remember that fact as well.”

Between 2009 and 2012, he said, 95 % of all new income went to the highest-earning 1% of Americans.

“As we go forward, in terms of our priority — and some folks want to cut Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and programs for low-income people — we also have to recognize… that we have more people living in poverty today than in any time in American history,” Sanders said.

Bernie Sanders made it clear that he is not going to allow cuts to vital social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare, especially when the Republicans themselves are the ones who blew up the federal deficit with their reckless Iraq War and giveaways to billionaires and corporations.

Please watch the video below and share this and other related articles on social media forms so that everyone will know the truth about our deficit and who/what exactly is/are responsible for it.