Taxes - Fool Me Once, Shame on You. Fool Me Twice…

By Congressman Dan Newhouse

Politicians like to tell you that there’s only one way to pay for new projects: raising taxes. After all, the money has to come from somewhere. Right?
 
In 2019, the federal government spent $4.4 trillion. Some of that went towards vital services, such as Social Security and Medicare. But tucked away in the budget were millions, if not billions, of your tax dollars going towards unnecessary, frivolous, government projects – including millions paid each year for the upkeep of abandoned federal buildings or printing publications no one reads. But there’s no extra room in the budget?
 
Rather than taking more money out of your pocket to pay for hidden pet projects, I say it’s past time we take a hard look at where the money you’re already giving the government is going. In 2019, Americans contributed $3.5 trillion in taxes, more than enough to create a balanced budget. It’s high time we got rid of wasteful spending.
 
We don’t need a bigger budget; we need a better budget.
 
The Biden Administration isn’t interested in this kind of responsible approach. Just take a look at their proposed infrastructure package. While they claim that $2.3 trillion dollars is needed for vital infrastructure improvements, a quick look reveals just another bloated government spending spree in disguise.
 
Of the $2.3 trillion package, less than 6% would go towards building and improving our roads and bridges, and only 2% is for airways, waterways, and ports.
 
That’s right, less than 8% of the “infrastructure package” will go towards our nation’s infrastructure. Meanwhile, $600 billion will go towards advancing the radical principles outlined in the Green New Deal. Sound familiar?
 
The federal government recently spent nearly $2 trillion on President Biden’s deceptively named “relief package” with only 9% of funding dedicated to combatting COVID-19. If this Administration has its way, Congress will have enacted almost $10 trillion in spending in only the first quarter of Biden’s inaugural term – more than the total combined wages paid to all American workers each year.
 
And, yes, the Biden Administration wants to raise your taxes to pay for it.
 
The federal government cannot continue to burden our children and grandchildren with high yearly deficits and insurmountable national debt. Currently, our national debt has surpassed $28 trillion – that's roughly $85,000 of debt to be paid by every man, woman, and child alive today. We owe our children and grandchildren a return to fiscal responsibility.
 
Runaway federal spending is unsustainable for our economy and threatens our national security. We must commit to responsible spending through reform, effective oversight of current programs, and eliminating waste.
 
I am committed to reining in federal spending and using taxpayer dollars in a prudent and responsible manner. Congress must take steps to balance the budget and eliminate our debt over the long term, which is why I support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.
 
You’re an American citizen who has a voice in how your hard-earned money is being used. So, the next time the Biden Administration tells you they need to raise your taxes, find out where that money is going first, and be prepared to speak out against wasteful spending. We cannot let them continue to experiment on our republic by picking your pockets.