Congress is set to return to Washington next week and I wanted to give you all a quick update on what to look for.
First off, just before the break, the House Budget Committee released their proposed budget document. For all intents and purposes, it looks to be very much in line with the goals we’ve set in each of the previous five years – balances the budget inside a decade, bends the long term spending curve downward, and makes much-needed broad strokes reform proposals. Crucially, these goals are accomplished without raising taxes and without jeopardizing national security.
Reforming the tax code, repealing Obamacare, eliminating duplicative programs, reducing waste and protecting seniors are all hallmarks of the House’s blueprint.
At the rate things have been going this year, however, we may not have much to talk about beyond this newsletter. The rumors are swirling that the House may not be able to find the necessary 218 votes to pass a budget. The Senate may not even try. That means we would end up with yet another massive year-end goodie bag.
I believe that the Founding Fathers intended for Congress to be a little bit sticky, a little bit contentious – just tough enough so that only the best ideas are able to rise to the top based on merit and compromise. But, the legislative process is not supposed to be completely unreasonable and it’s certainly not supposed to be impossible. Despite all the grinding gears, at the end of the day, the motor is expected to run.
Like a lot of my colleagues, I came to Washington to solve problems, not ignore them in favor of easy stuff like naming post offices. I feel like a broken record, but members of Congress need to stop worrying so much about their own elections and start concerning themselves with the future health and security of our nation and economy. The can has been kicked for years and it just never seems convenient to people to stop kicking it now. Newsflash – it’s never convenient to take up something difficult. It’s never convenient to head into a challenging situation with an uncertain outcome. But if you spend all your time waiting for tough problems to turn themselves into easy solutions, you never even take the first step.
Frankly, this is part of why a lot of us are heading back home for good – I’m just as fed up as you are with everything that’s been going on in D.C.
Congressman Richard Nugent represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.
