The worst number in Washington
$15 trillion. If you needed a single number to represent Washington’s decades of dysfunction before President Donald J. Trump was elected, that’s a good place to start.
In the 20 years from 1997 to 2017—President Trump’s first in office—America’s national debt nearly quadrupled from just over $5 trillion to more than $20 trillion. Those skyrocketing deficits accompanied a Federal Government that was increasingly unaccountable to its citizens, putting favored interests ahead of U.S. taxpayers.
In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama called the $4 trillion in debt accumulated under President George W. Bush “unpatriotic.” Once in the White House, President Obama himself then swelled the national debt by nearly $9 trillion. After losing the presidency in 2016, Democrats once again ramped up their tough talk on the deficit, this time as a means of attacking President Trump and Congressional Republicans.
Well, good news—the 2020 budget proposed by President Trump today gives both parties a chance to show Americans where they stand on Washington’s “unpatriotic” spending addiction. With economic growth soaring above 3 percent and unemployment at its lowest in 50 years, now is the moment to lift the debt burden off of our children’s backs.
President Trump’s budget was written with the working American citizen in mind:
- Taxpayers first. Recent history is clear about the source of our debt problem. The issue isn’t that Americans are taxed too little—it’s that Washington spends far too much. President Trump’s 2020 proposal reduces spending by $2.7 trillion and balances the Federal budget in 15 years.
- Promises kept. This budget prioritizes the Government’s core responsibilities to its citizens. It allocates $32.5 billion for border security and immigration enforcement, more than $80 billion to fully support medical care for veterans, and $750 billion to continue rebuilding American national defense.
- Government waste slashed. Few Americans know that every year, the Federal Government spends $68 million on international labor activities, such as promoting unions in South America. Or that Washington spends $35,000 per student—more than tuition at many top universities—to send tens of thousands of young people to “Jobs Corps” centers with an abysmal safety and security record. This type of underreported, unchecked waste and abuse must end.
Republicans and Democrats both call out the national debt when the other party is in power—no surprise there. The difference today is that only one party, led by President Trump, is actually trying to cut spending once in office.
Pay close attention to whether Democrats suddenly go silent about our national debt.
Russ Vought: “Spending Addiction Threatens American Economic Resurgence”
By the numbers: President Trump’s pro-American 2020 budget |
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