New York congressional Republicans, some of whom criticized debt growth under a Democratic president, ended up supporting President Donald Trump’s budget bill that could add some $3 trillion to the national debt.

Along with the debt and loyalty, New York’s Republicans also had to consider impact on local taxes, schools, health care and next year’s elections in a close vote, 218-214, in the House of Representatives on Thursday.

That impact could have caused some to adjust their views on the deficit, or shift from emphasizing the debt as in recent years to touting tax and spending cuts in the bill.

Such a shift is not surprising, considering the last 20+ years of U.S. politics, Syracuse University political scientist Grant Reeher told Newsday.

Since federal spending escalated after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Congress largely has put aside serious discussions of the national debt and nowadays Republicans and Democrats often shift their views depending on who is in the White House.

The party on the outs is the one most concerned about the debt.

"In today’s dynamic, there is a plausible explanation for increasing the national debt: It depends on what you’re increasing it for," Reeher said.

Democrats have been willing to increase the debt to expand green/clean energy and forgive college student loans. Republicans, for tax cuts and military spending.

"It’s completely apparent both parties are complicit in this hypocrisy and are perfectly willing to raise the debt and deficit further and further," Reeher said.

The U.S. Senate passed its version of the budget bill Tuesday along party lines with Vice President JD Vance voting to break what had been a 50-50 deadlock. The House narrowly passed its version of the bill, 215-214, on May 22. But after some haggling — and pressure from the White House — the GOP-led House approved the Senate version.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has determined the Senate bill would increase deficits by $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034. That’s about $1 trillion more than the House version of the bill.

The sprawling, 940-page bill could impact just about every domestic policy.

It would extend tax cuts that, while providing some benefit for low-income households, largely would help those earning higher incomes, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

It would add spending for the military and immigration enforcement while cutting spending on Medicaid, food benefits and green energy.

The national debt is currently more than $36 trillion and increasing it will "exacerbate trends we already have from our current unsustainable trajectory," said Shai Akabas, vice president of economic policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

More government debt typically leads to rising interest rates, slowing the economy, Akabas told Newsday. While tax cuts in the bill could stimulate consumer spending or economic investment, the increase in debt to pay for them will "negate those positive economic impacts over time," he said.

Back in 2023, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) decried the idea of increasing the debt when Democrat President Joe Biden was in office, saying Americans couldn’t afford it.

"Our debt is one of the greatest threats to America and the time to address this crisis is now," Stefanik and three other House GOP leaders said in a statement then.

Several times during Trump’s first term in office, she voted to suspend the debt ceiling.

On Wednesday, Stefanik on social media praised the current Trump budget bill, saying it would cut taxes, "secure our borders" and "cut wasteful spending." The deficit wasn’t mentioned.

Rep. Michael Lawler (R-Pearl River), considered one of the more bipartisan members of Congress and representative of a swing district, disagreed with Biden on some of the impacts of the 2023 debt ceiling legislation but wasn’t harshly critical.

Lawler has voiced support for the new Trump bill, saying the tax cuts will spur the economy, which could offset debt growth.

"The reality is, tax cuts help do that," Lawler told Newsday. "And if we don’t pass the tax bill, you’re going to have the largest tax increase in American history and that of course will have a negative effect on the economy, on businesses, on jobs. You have to factor all of this as we work through it."

Lawler and Stefanik, as well as Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, have been mentioned as potential Republican candidates for governor in 2026.

Reps. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) were among the Republicans being pressured by Democrats to oppose the current Trump budget bill.

As Reeher noted, opposition to raising the debt depends on program priorities.

LaLota has backed the House bill this time in part because it raises the cap on the state and local tax deduction, which would benefit many Long Islanders who have high property taxes and high incomes.

"This was a yearslong battle, and I’m proud my colleagues finally came around to a plan that fixes the unfair" cap, LaLota said when the House acted in May. In 2023, he praised the debt ceiling legislation, calling it a "necessary first step to putting our great nation on a better course for our kids and grandkids."

He said in a statement Thursday that "after 25 years without a balanced budget — and a debt-to-GDP ratio at its worst since WWII — both parties must work together to compassionately cut spending."

In 2023, Garbarino said Republicans weren’t opposed to raising the debt ceiling but didn’t want to hand Democrats a "blank check." He noted Wednesday the new bill also raises the debt ceiling but contended it's offset by tax savings and other benefits.

Said Garbarino: "While not perfect, this bill includes real wins for Long Island and for the American people."