The national debt now stands at nearly $20 trillion, larger than our economy’s annual gross domestic product. Our debt is accumulating even while federal revenues have grown above historical levels. This leads to a single, undeniable conclusion: The federal government has a spending problem. When Washington is too big and too intrusive, it interferes with our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Republican Study Committee’s budget, “Securing America’s Future Economy,” is offered to address these issues head on. The RSC is the caucus of conservatives in the House of Representatives, made up of more than 150 members dedicated to preserving liberty, opportunity, and security for Americans. Sometimes called the conservative think-tank within Congress, the RSC puts forward bold, innovative solutions to the nation’s most pressing problems. Over time, ideas first espoused in RSC budgets have been incorporated into the House budgets, the president’s budget, and into law. Our influence can be seen in the conservative budgets proposed this year by President Trump and House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black, R-Tenn.
In November, voters had the opportunity to have their voices heard and they spoke loud and clear – it was time for a new direction in Washington, and they voted for a unified Republican government. Now it is time to follow through and implement the policy agenda that Congress and the president were elected on. This RSC budget provides a blueprint to implement a comprehensive platform to ensure a strong national security, robust economic growth, equal opportunity for all, a sustainable social safety net, and a return to constitutionally limited government.
For too long, families and main-street businesses have struggled to make ends meet. Wages are stagnant, more and more people are losing hope and leaving the labor force, and economic growth has been painfully anemic. This budget includes a variety of policies to get the economy back on track.
Vital to this effort is the RSC budget providing a framework and an expedited process to enact pro-growth tax reform. The new tax code should lower rates across the board and end current policies that punish saving and investment. The new tax code should recognize the importance of families, children, and marriage. The new code should accommodate healthcare costs and incentivize charitable giving, while doing away with forms of double-taxation like the Death Tax. Most importantly, the new code should be simple, pro-growth, and fair for all Americans.
At the same time, the RSC budget would fundamentally transform the federal government’s welfare programs in a way that would empower individuals, families, and communities, promoting opportunity and the dignity of earned success for those who need a hand up in a time of need.
Without reforms, Medicare will be bankrupt in eight years, Social Security in eighteen years, and Disability Insurance in six years. This means that not just future generations are at risk, but current beneficiaries – our most vulnerable – also face dramatic cuts if changes are not made. That is why the RSC budget proposes to phase in fair, common-sense reforms to preserve these programs.
Providing for the national defense is one of the government’s core constitutional duties. We and our allies face a multitude of complex challenges all around the world. The RSC budget would set forward a real national security strategy and rebuild our Department of Defense, responsibly providing the men and women in uniform the resources they need to keep us safe.
Some may attempt to demagogue these proposals for petty political purposes, but the RSC advocates for the right policy program because it will have better results for families, individuals, communities, and the entire country.
The current fiscal trajectory is unsustainable, putting the nation at risk of a devastating fiscal crisis. Instead of a future of high debt and low growth, the RSC budget proposes a positive blueprint for success and opportunity. Our budget focuses on pro-growth, pro-family policies that will boost the economy and provide a strong fiscal foundation for generations to come.
We look forward to taking the case for these policies to the people, and to continuing our work to secure America’s future economy.
Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., represents North Carolina’s 6th District in Congress. He is chair of the Republican Study Committee. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., represents California’s 4th District in Congress. He is chair of the Republican Study Committee’s Budget Task Force.
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