Cynthia Lummis

Budget

With $15 trillion in national debt hanging over the future of our children and grandchildren, it is time for Congress to have the serious conversation with the American public about the drivers of our debt.  Tinkering around the edges of our spending addiction will not solve the problem.  Achieving lasting budget balance will not be possible unless Congress is forced to make tough decisions, including reform of our unsustainable entitlement programs. 

Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid are plagued with trillions in unfunded liabilities and will eventually collapse under their own weight if they are left unchanged.  Action must be taken sooner rather than later if we are to preserve these programs for future generations and avoid impacting current retirees that have planned their retirement around a promise of government benefits.  I urge you to take a look at these charts to get a better idea of the fiscal difficulty in which our country finds itself.

The American people are making sacrifices in tough economic times and Washington needs to do the same.  House passage of the Republican budget, “The Path to Prosperity,” is a good framework for the fiscal path I will insist on moving forward.  This blueprint preserves and strengthens health and retirement programs. It streamlines the tax code, halts Washington’s sprawl in favor of a smaller, leaner federal government, and it empowers America’s job creators to start hiring and to grow the economy.