Why did Representative Matt Gaetz and the Freedom Caucus wait three hundred and sixty-four days to make their stand on out-of-control spending?
2018, I met Senator Rand Paul in the US Republican Senate Committee office building in DC. He asked me if I supported him in blocking a vote on the spending bill, which resulted in shutting down the government. I responded, “Senator, I agree that out-of-control spending needs to be addressed. However, I disagreed with your action.” By the time the vote came up, the fight was over. I would not have blocked the spending bill and would have worked every day from that point on to rein in out-of-control spending.
How to Rein in Out-of-Control Spending
In 2018, the Heritage Foundation published an article, “7 Ways Congress Can Rein in Out-of-Control Spending,” Which were: “1) Reform and extend the Budget Control Act. 2) Enforce a real debt limit. 3) The president submits, and Congress passes a budget. 4) Return to regular order in budgeting and appropriations. 5) Reform the budget process. 6) Repeal and replace Obamacare. 7) Pass welfare reform.” Five years later, a few of the seven steps may be outdated, but that does not diminish the effect of the others.
There is no time like the present to do away with laws that are no longer relevant, add to the deficit without benefits, or are not worth their cost. Start with easy statutes, programs with little support, accounts, and high prices to build broad support. This process includes ending the extension of laws passed with a “Sunset Clause.”
End the practice of passing laws, regulations, and programs, no matter the cost, that promise to end climate change. The Congressional Budget Office analyzes the cost of each bill before Congress so that members of Congress can determine if the bill is worth the price. The Corp of Engineers conducts a Cost Benefit Ratio for every project constructed to determine if the benefits justify the cost. It is time for Congress to expand the role of the Congressional Budget Office to evaluate whether a bill will increase or decrease the total greenhouse gases and at what costs future generations.
Those members of Congress who will work tirelessly on ending Out-of-Control Spending will earn the gratitude of American Taxpayers. That will be true in California or Florida; no one wants their tax dollars wasted.
Does anyone remember that Senator Rand Paul's actions shut down the federal government in 2018? Does anyone know why Senator Paul shut down the government? Did his action result in any change in Congress? Does anyone remember Senator Rand Paul today? But the voters remembered in the election of 2018, and Republicans lost.
To Representative Matt Gaetz and the Freedom Caucus
Representative Matt Gaetz should prioritize the creation of a broad coalition of conservatives across the country that focuses on ending Out-of-Control spending. That will go a long way in achieving his goal of fiscal responsibility.
Representative Gaetz and the Freedom Cause proclaimed they stood on principle to end Out-of-Control spending. But what was their first priority? To oust Speaker McCarthy and hold power, not fiscal responsibility.
I look forward to the words, “Gaetz who?”
This week’s article was first published in the American Thinker, the nation’s top conservative online publication.
The Albuquerque City Council passed a resolution requesting the Legislature and Governor to bolster the state’s Three-Strikes law. The City Council must be reading my articles. In my recent article, I address the Three-Strikes Law.
Amen. How about true Republican candidates signing a “no pork” pledge? Some of those in office today are among the biggest spenders…