By TX3DNews Staff | April 27, 2025

It’s gotta be exhausting being Rep. Keith Self—balancing the Trump Tax Cuts in one hand and a ticking debt bomb in the other, all while pretending he’s got it under control and this tightrope act won’t end in a faceplant for his constituents.

Earlier this week, Self posted that “spending cuts around the edges won’t save America from financial collapse,” and that Congress must make the “significant spending cuts America needs.”

Then a couple of days later, he appeared on Fox News to declare the “Crown Jewel of Reconciliation: THE TRUMP TAX CUTS,” warning that if they expire, the bottom tax bracket will jump from 10% to 15%. He called on Congress to quickly extend them.

And here’s the thing—he’s not wrong on the numbers. Under current law, key parts of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will sunset at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts.

But zoom out just a bit, and it raises a simple—yet inconvenient—question for TX-03 community:

Are we cutting taxes, or cutting spending? Because doing both—without consequences—only works in campaign speeches and carefully worded tweets.

So let’s just ask—judgment-free, no partisan spin: Which is it, Congressman? Tax cuts or deficit reduction?

Because here in TX-03, we’ve got families, veterans, small business owners, and seniors who will feel the impact either way—and not all in the same way.

And no matter how patriotic your spreadsheet looks, you can’t gut trillions in revenue and expect the budget to salute and balance itself—with nothing but willpower, good vibes, and a star-spangled PowerPoint.

Tax Cuts Meet Reality (It’s Awkward)

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, extending the Trump-era tax cuts could add $3.5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

Meanwhile, Rep. Keith Self and other fiscal conservatives are calling for sweeping spending cuts to reduce the deficit. But here’s the budget reality they rarely explain in detail: you can’t wipe out trillions in tax revenue and still shrink the deficit without gutting something major. And more often than not, that “something” includes the very services working families in Collin County rely on every day.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that to fully offset the cost of extending the Trump-era tax cuts, Congress would need to cut non-defense discretionary spending by more than 40%. That’s not trimming fat—that’s cutting into the muscle of programs that touch nearly every community in TX-03.

Here’s what that looks like on the ground:

Education: Title I funds support schools in Collin County, including Farmersville ISD, helping provide critical resources for students from low-income families.
Public Health and Safety: Texas has struggled with stagnant public health funding—an issue that’s contributed to resurgences of preventable diseases, including recent measles outbreaks (AP News).
Infrastructure: TxDOT has proposed a $396 billion statewide transportation plan, with major investments earmarked for North Texas roadways that directly affect residents in TX-03 (Texas Comptroller).
School Meal Programs: More than 3 million children in Texas receive meals through the National School Lunch Program, which helps keep students fed and focused during the school day (Square Meals).
Veterans’ Services: The U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic in Plano provides essential medical and mental health care to veterans in the district.
Small Business Support: The Texas Workforce Commission’s Skills for Small Business Program offers grant funding to help local small businesses train and retain full-time employees—a key boost to the TX-03 economy.

So yes, Congressman—you’re absolutely right to want TX-03 families to keep more of what they earn.

But what if that savings comes at the cost of leaner schools, rougher roads, and longer waits in overcrowded ERs?

Is that a trade TX-03 is willing to make?

Because in the real world—not a red-meat tweet built for Fox News hits—you don’t get something for nothing. Put another way: you can’t balance the budget with one hand while handing out tax breaks with the other, no matter how you spin it.

What Gets Cut When the Cuts Sound Good

We get it, it’s easy cheer for “tax relief” when no one’s talking about the trade-offs. But here in TX-03, families aren’t just taxpayers—they’re parents with kids in Frisco, seniors relying on Medicare, veterans visiting the Plano VA clinic, and first-time homebuyers trying to afford a roof over their heads.

These aren’t luxuries. They’re the basics.

So, Congressman—which is it?

Extending the Trump tax cuts may sound great on paper—until you realize the ink is red. And if the plan is to “cut wasteful spending,” then let’s see the fine print. Because in Washington, “waste” often means school funding and health care back home.

Can you really cut taxes, shrink the deficit, and protect the programs people here rely on?
Or is this just about picking the headline that polls best?

Because if you’re selling TX-03 the idea that we can have it all—without losing anything—we kindly ask for a receipt.

EDITORIAL NOTE: This piece represents the editorial opinion of TX3DNews.com. All statistics and quotes are sourced from verified government data and official public statements.

Sources:
IRS: 2024 Tax Inflation Adjustments

Tax Foundation: 2026 Tax Brackets If TCJA Expires

Rep. Keith Self on X (April 2025 Spending Cuts Quote)

CBO: Budget and Economic Outlook (Feb 2025)

CRFB: Cost of Extending Trump Tax Cuts
Texas Education Agency – Title I Program

AP News: Texas Measles Outbreak and Vaccine Cuts

Texas Comptroller: TxDOT Long-Term Investment Plan

Square Meals – National School Lunch Program

Plano VA Clinic – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Texas Workforce Commission – Skills for Small Business Program