It took 200 years for the United States to amass a $2T national debt. We now add that in just 200 days to a debt that currently exceeds $36T. On this path, the debt will grow to $50T by the end of Trump’s second term. Interest alone will cost $2.5T, half of the total tax revenues collected. These facts are staggering, and it would be euphemistic to say unsustainable.
Two years ago, I advocated for returning to a pre-COVID budget, cutting a half cent every year for ten years, and eliminating unnecessary departments in the federal government. Today, my proposal remains the same. I call it the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act would make necessary cuts and improvements in the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, and Justice while streamlining the VA. And it would eliminate the Department of Education and Homeland Security.
Our public schools are failing because Washington is pushing an agenda rooted in Marxist ideology and critical race theory at the expense of the fundamentals of math, science, and civics. It is past time to get Washington out of the teaching business. Parents, not DC bureaucrats, know what is best for their children.
The Department of Homeland Security, which came out of the 911 attacks, is another bloated institution that not only duplicates what other agencies can do but stands in the way of more efficient enforcement and protection.
The Act would merge the remaining Departments of Ag, Commerce, Energy, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, and Transportation into one Department of Domestic Affairs. Too much power is centered in Washington. The system is corrupt, and billions of taxpayer dollars are squandered on special interests, climate insanity, unnecessary foreign aid, conflict involvements, mismanaged agencies, and an excessive number of government employees.
Under the Act, the Trump tax cuts would become permanent, and the corporate tax rate would be reduced to 15%, making the US the most competitive nation in the world.
Fiscal Responsibility would truly unleash a golden age of economic prosperity, the likes of which have never been seen before. It is a lofty goal but a framework that Congress must consider seriously. This Act does not present an option. It presents an ultimatum. Cut government or risk a financial collapse that would cause shockwaves throughout the global economy. America’s best days do not have to be in the rearview mirror. Send me to Washington, where we can pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and they will be right in front of us.
Pipes
Gregory Merk, Maj, USAF Ret