Election 2026

Independent, source-first accountability

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Issue record

The national debt and federal spending

In short

Thomas Kean Jr.'s congressional site calls for cutting duplicate programs and waste to address the debt. Rebecca Bennett's campaign lists no debt or deficit position on its priority pages. No campaign site or statement was found for Seamus Patrick O'Toole. On the record, Kean voted for 2023 spending caps that also suspended the debt limit, 2025 cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting, and the 2025 tax law raising the debt limit by $5 trillion.

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Thomas H. Kean Jr.

His congressional site says the country must get its fiscal house in order and address the debt and deficit, starting by eliminating duplicative programs and cutting wasteful spending.

Rebecca Bennett

No position on the national debt or the federal deficit was found on her eight priority pages. The nearest is a pledge to hold the administration accountable for ignoring Congress's power to decide spending, which is about who controls spending rather than how much.

Seamus Patrick O'Toole

No campaign site, platform or public statement was found. Seven likely campaign domains have no DNS record, the state's contact list gives only an email address, no FEC registration exists, and the one news report found describes his petition, not his views.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. official action

    Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

    He voted for 2023 spending caps, the 2025 cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting, and the 2025 tax law, which raised the debt limit by $5 trillion.

    Read the full check

    Full detail

    His congressional site says the country must get its fiscal house in order and address the debt and deficit, starting by cutting duplicative programs and wasteful spending. He voted for the Limit, Save, Grow Act on April 26, 2023 (Roll Call 199); it passed the House 217 to 215 and did not become law. He voted for the Fiscal Responsibility Act on May 31, 2023 (Roll Call 243). That law, Public Law 118-5, capped discretionary spending for fiscal 2024 and 2025 and suspended the debt limit until January 1, 2025. On June 12, 2025 he voted for the Rescissions Act (H.R. 4, Roll Call 168), and on July 18 for the rule that accepted the Senate's changes to it (Roll Call 203). It became Public Law 119-28 and cancelled money already approved for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The 2025 tax law he voted for, Public Law 119-21 (Roll Calls 145 and 190), raised the debt limit by 5 trillion dollars. Limit: Whether any of these laws lowers the deficit is an estimate, not a record, and this card does not score it. Two of them raised or suspended the debt limit.

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Sources16 source records

How we use sources

  1. Economyhttps://kean.house.gov/issues/economy

    Office of Rep. Thomas H. Kean, Jr. · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    His congressional office's issue page, in his own voice.

    candidate statement

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: campaign position; Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  2. Prioritieshttps://rebeccabennettforcongress.com/priorities/

    Rebecca Bennett for Congress · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Index of her eight priority pages: affordability, the economy, health care, neighborhood safety, national security, freedoms, veterans and the environment. None addresses the national debt or federal deficit.

    candidate statement

    For: Rebecca Bennett: campaign position

  3. Defending Our Freedomshttps://rebeccabennettforcongress.com/priorities/defending-our-freedoms/

    Rebecca Bennett for Congress · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Campaign priority page.

    candidate statement

    For: Rebecca Bennett: campaign position

  4. Unofficial list, candidates for U.S. House, general election, email addresses (document)

    New Jersey Division of Elections · Published Jul 27, 2026 · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    The state's contact list for general-election House candidates. For O'Toole it gives only a Gmail address named for his ballot slogan; it lists no website for any candidate.

    official election record

    For: Seamus Patrick O'Toole: campaign position

  5. Candidates for U.S. House, New Jersey District 07, 2026https://www.fec.gov/data/candidates/house/?state=NJ&district=07&election_year=2026

    Federal Election Commission · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Read from OpenFEC on September 23, 2026: fourteen registered 2026 candidates for this seat, including Kean (H0NJ07261), Bennett (H6NJ07201) and Leguía (H4NJ07164). No Seamus O'Toole is registered for this seat, and a name search of New Jersey candidates for O'Toole returned no one.

    fec filing

    For: Seamus Patrick O'Toole: campaign position

  6. 'Stop Israel's Genocide' NJ-7 candidate survives Dem petition challengehttps://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/stop-israels-genocide-nj-7-candidate-survives-dem-petition-challenge/

    New Jersey Globe · Published Jun 9, 2026 · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Reports that O'Toole filed 299 signatures against a 250 threshold, that an administrative law judge upheld 17 challenged signatures, and that the challenge was withdrawn. The only reporting found that describes him at all, and it describes his candidacy, not his views.

    original reporting

    For: Seamus Patrick O'Toole: campaign position

  7. Roll Call 199, 2023: H.R. 2811, Limit, Save, Grow Act, on passagehttps://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023199

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Recorded vote of April 26, 2023, passed 217 to 215. Kean: Yea.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  8. H.R. 2811, Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2811

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Passed the House April 26, 2023; not enacted.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  9. Roll Call 243, 2023: H.R. 3746, Fiscal Responsibility Act, on passagehttps://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023243

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Recorded vote of May 31, 2023, passed 314 to 117. Kean: Aye.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  10. H.R. 3746, Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, Public Law 118-5https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3746

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Became Public Law 118-5 on June 3, 2023. Enacted text read from GovInfo: section 101 sets discretionary spending limits for fiscal 2024 and 2025; section 401 suspends the debt limit through January 1, 2025.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  11. Roll Call 168, 2025: H.R. 4, Rescissions Act, on passagehttps://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025168

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Recorded vote of June 12, 2025, passed 214 to 212. Kean: Yea. The House later agreed to the Senate's version through H. Res. 590 (Roll Call 203, July 18, 2025, Kean: Aye).

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  12. Roll Call 203, 2025: H. Res. 590, the rule on the Senate amendment to H.R. 4https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025203

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Recorded vote of July 18, 2025, on the rule for the Senate amendment to H.R. 4. Kean: Aye.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  13. H.R. 4, Rescissions Act of 2025, Public Law 119-28https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Sep 25, 2026

    Became Public Law 119-28 on July 24, 2025. Enacted text read from GovInfo: it rescinds foreign-aid balances and Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  14. Roll Call 145, H.R. 1, on passagehttps://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025145

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Recorded vote of May 22, 2025, passed 215 to 214. Kean: Yea. On Roll Call 144 the same day, a motion to recommit, he voted Nay, which is a vote against sending the bill back.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  15. Roll Call 190, H.R. 1, on concurring in the Senate amendmenthttps://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025190

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Recorded vote of July 3, 2025, passed 218 to 214. Kean: Aye.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction

  16. H.R. 1, 119th Congress, Public Law 119-21https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Sep 23, 2026

    Enacted text read from GovInfo (PLAW-119publ21). Section 70120 replaces the 10,000 dollar cap on the deduction for state and local taxes with 40,000 dollars for 2025, 40,400 for 2026 and one per cent more each year through 2029, reduced by 30 per cent of income above 500,000 dollars but not below 10,000, and returning to 10,000 dollars from 2030. Section 71119 requires states to set Medicaid community engagement (work) requirements for certain adults. Section 50102 orders at least 30 Gulf of America oil and gas lease sales through 2040.

    official legislative record

    For: Thomas H. Kean Jr.: Matches stated direction