Staff Reports
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is making waves in Washington as he stands firmly against a significant spending bill being pushed through Congress. Even after a meeting with the President, Johnson remains reluctant to support what he has termed a financial leviathan. With his track record of fiscal responsibility, it is no surprise that he is digging in his heels on this one. After all, no one wants to go bankrupt, especially on the government’s watch!
To put things in perspective, Senator Johnson shared some eye-opening statistics about the state of federal spending. Before the pandemic hit, annual deficits averaged around $660 billion. But then came the madness of COVID-19, and suddenly we were looking at a staggering $3.1 trillion deficit. You can almost hear the cash registers ringing in D.C. as expenses skyrocketed. Johnson believes that as the economy recovers, we ought to revert to those more manageable pre-pandemic levels. Instead, under the current administration, they seem content to operate with average annual deficits of $1.9 trillion. That’s nearly three times the deficit of yesteryear, and Johnson thinks it’s madness!
The senator didn’t stop there; he pointed out that U.S. spending has ballooned from $4.4 trillion to over $7 trillion in the budget’s latest iteration, with projections hinting at a steady $2.1 trillion in annual deficits stretching far into the future. With the national debt hitting a whopping $37 trillion, Johnson is not willing to accept that this kind of spending is the new normal. In his view, the federal government ought to take a hard look in the mirror and rethink its reckless spending strategies.
What ruffles his feathers the most is the sheer size of the new bill, with Johnson claiming it has around 300 provisions. He emphasizes that rushing to pass something without thoroughly understanding its impact is not a wise course of action. Johnson echoed the sentiments of many of his colleagues, advocating for a careful, methodical discussion to analyze each provision line-by-line, ensuring that taxpayers are being treated with the respect they deserve amidst such financial chaos. After all, does the American public need additional tax credits when they’re already swimming in a sea of national debt?
Despite the urgency swirling around Capitol Hill, Johnson expresses confidence that hard work can lead to responsible solutions. He acknowledges the late nights worked by committee members and leadership, all with the common goal in mind: addressing the financial mess left by the previous administration. As the debate continues, it seems both sides of the aisle have a lot of homework to do if they want to avoid putting millions of Americans under the tax burden once again. Senator Johnson is just one voice, but he’s a passionate one… and his homework isn’t done yet!
