Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson led President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet in a prayer Wednesday, thanking God for "unity in Congress," and for providing an "opportunity for our economy to expand so that we can fight the corrosive debt that has been destroying our future."
Carson also thanked God for a "courageous" president and a Cabinet "who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide a better future."
Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and Seventh Day Adventist, has said he prayed before every surgery he performed.
His prayer on Wednesday was overtly political, however, as he thanked God for the "unity" between House Republicans and Senate Republicans that facilitated the passage of a massive tax cut this week. He also prayed that this unity would, "spread even beyond party lines, so that people recognize we have a nation that is worth saving."
Earlier in the meeting, Trump had accused Democrats of wanting only tax increases and "complaining."
Carson also used spiritual terms to reinforce the Trump administration's claim that the tax cuts will pay for themselves, thanking God for economic expansion "so we can fight the corrosive debt that has been destroying our future."
Economists, however, dispute that the GOP tax cuts will help "fight" the national debt, as Carson prayed for. On the contrary, tax policy institutes across the country predict the tax cuts will likely add over a trillion dollars to the national debt over 10 years.
Here's the entire prayer.
Our kind Father in heaven, we're so thankful for the opportunities and the freedom that you've granted us in this country. We thank you for the president and for Cabinet members who are courageous, who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide a better future for those who come behind us. We're thankful for the unity in Congress, that presented an opportunity for our economy to expand, so we can fight the corrosive debt that has been destroying our future. And we hope that that unity will spread even beyond party lines, so that people recognize we have a nation that is worth saving. And nations divided against themselves cannot stand. In this time of discord, distrust and dishonesty, we ask that you will give us a spirit of gratitude, compassion and common sense. And give us the wisdom to be able to guide this great nation in the future. We ask in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
