Beto O'Rourke in 2012 said the US had an 'extravagant government' that needed 'significant' spending cutsO'Rourke at the time endorsed cuts to defense and domestic spending in the middle and long term, along with seriously considering changes to Social Security and tax laws that would do away with some tax breaks. Those past positions are at odds with the current and more progressive liberal base of the party that has largely embraced increased government programs like cost-free college and "Medicare for All."
The deficit and national debt are no longer major parts of O'Rourke's political message, and though sometimes light on specifics, he's signaled support for the Green New Deal and, at times, universal health care coverage -- two proposals that would require increased government spending.
The deficit and debt became a lightning rod in the race in which O'Rourke, who had just left the El Paso city council, unseated eight-term incumbent Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the Democratic primary for Texas's 16th district. Republicans, who controlled the House of Representatives at the time in the summer of 2011, had demanded a deficit reduction plan from then-President Barack Obama in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.
