In The News

Last week, I was proud to be named a “Fiscal Hero” by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget for my work to confront the National Debt Crisis and fix our broken budgeting process. I was one of only 39 members of the House of Representatives to be presented with this award. It is no secret that our nation is rapidly approaching a fiscal crisis.

Think about this: All the money Washington spends on interest payments to finance the national debt is now greater than what is spent on our national defense. The Congressional Budget Office estimates debt interest payments will be our nation’s second-largest expense later this year. The fact is that our current debt trajectory is unsustainable and unacceptable. Our children and grandchildren’s economic opportunity will be crushed by this debt if Congress refuses to act.

In addition to a Balanced Budget Amendment and spending cuts, the most immediate and practical step Congress can take would be to pass my Fiscal Commission Act. This bill would establish an equally bipartisan, bicameral group of elected officials that must craft a proposal that fixes our fiscal situation in the medium- and long-term. The proposal must balance the budget ASAP and stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio. Then, importantly, Congress would be forced to vote on this proposal without amendment and without delay.

The Fiscal Commission Act has gained significant support in Congress and even passed the House Budget Committee. Although we’re working to advance this bill in the face of Washington insiders and those who would ignore our fiscal crisis altogether, we’ve successfully drawn greater attention to the urgency of this looming fiscal disaster.

While there’s still much to be done to address our nation’s $34 trillion-plus mountain of debt, I’m appreciative of this recognition – which is grounded in my fiscally conservative voting record and my leadership on working to end Washington’s addiction to spending. Make no mistake. This will not be easy, but I won’t stop trying.

If you need assistance navigating a federal agency, please contact my office in Holland at (616) 251-6741 or in Portage at (269) 569-8595.