Opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not reflect the views of The Hill.
By Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Opinion Contributor 11/07/24 10:30 AM ET
The U.S. Capitol building is reflected in rain puddles on February 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.
With the US national debt on the verge of… exceed 35 trillion dollarsand the 20 percent increase in inflation since January 2021 continues to weigh on families, you would expect Senate Democrats to be eager to craft a spending plan that addresses these issues. Unfortunately, with only five weeks left in the session until the federal government runs out of funds, Democrats in the Senate have so far utterly failed to do their job.
We’ve seen this happen before. We cannot concede victory in this failure by passing another inflation-bomb spending bill this year.
Even though Senate Democrats finally scheduled review hearings on some appropriations bills this week, don’t let that convince you that they haven’t deliberately stopped doing the work necessary to responsibly fund the government. With just five weeks until the government runs out of money, none of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed.
There are few things that expose Washington’s dysfunction more clearly than our broken government funding process. Almost every year we see the same process play out, and here’s how it works.
For months, Senate Democrats simply sit on appropriations bills, even as Republicans on the Appropriations Committee have worked in good faith to take the initial step of moving the bills to the Senate floor. Then, as the funding deadline approaches, the politicians give up and say the government has run out of time and will soon run out of money. Then, without any scrutiny, debate, or amendments, a massive spending bill is passed to avoid a government shutdown.
Democrats and the Washington establishment are calling anyone who opposes the swift passage of this reckless spending an obstructionist intent on shutting down the government. That’s a lie and everyone knows it, but that’s the punishment they’ll get if they call out Washington for incompetence and failure.
It’s time to force change in Washington that restores fiscal sanity and forces Congress to chart a path for the federal government to live within its means. That’s the only way to stop reckless spending, combat inflation, and begin paying down our nearly $35 trillion national debt.
Look at what has happened to our country under President Joe Biden and it is clear that the need for change could not be greater.
The national debt has soared by nearly $8 trillion, and instead of pushing for fiscal responsibility to reverse America’s financial decline, Biden has doubled down, proposing a $6.8 trillion budget.
To understand how far-fetched that proposal is, consider this: the U.S. population has grown by only 2% since 2019, but the budget has increased by 55% over the same period. That equates to spending $400,000 for every new person added to the population.
This madness has to end. When Republicans regain control of Washington, we must stop caving to the Democrats’ radical agenda and put America back on the path to fiscal sanity. But I also believe that fight cannot wait until after the election. It’s obvious that Senate Democrats have no interest in working with Republicans.
The federal government is heading into a fiscal spiral of enormous proportions that is entirely avoidable.
So here’s a proposal for Democrats: Let’s pass a continuing resolution, free of earmarks and liberal policy provisions, that funds our government until sometime in the next Congress. And while we’re at it, let’s also pass the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act and prioritize floor consideration of national security spending that focuses on lethal combat power. Even at Washington’s snail’s pace, these measures are absolutely doable before the end of the fiscal year. This would give Republican senators on the Appropriations Committee the opportunity for real debate, real dialogue, and better outcomes for the American people.
It is time to stand up and demand fiscal sanity and denounce the inaction of Democrats whose only goal is to preserve a big government, big spending, big regulation regime.
We have two choices before us: drastically change the way Washington works or accept the status quo and lose our country to massive debt and the instability it will create. Fighting for change is the only hope we have to save our great nation.
Senator Rick Scott represents Florida in the U.S. Senate. He is a former governor of Florida.
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