Last week, the national debt reached $34 trillion for the first time in history. In the last three years the federal government has spent trillions of dollars outside of regular budgeted spending. Prices are up, interest is high, and there is no excuse not to reverse the harmful policies that have brought us to this point. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year is putting a stop to the out-of-control D.C. spending we’ve been seeing and start using taxpayer dollars in a way that works for Americans and Central Washingtonians alike.
In Congress, one of my biggest responsibilities is my work as a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. As one of the oldest committees in Congress, our job is to direct all federal spending and regulate expenditures of taxpayer funds. Additionally, and per the Constitution, the power to appropriate federal dollars from the Treasury belongs exclusively to the House of Representatives. This puts us in a critical position for implementing a common-sense approach to federal spending.
I am advocating for transparency in the appropriations process, especially regarding the funding of unauthorized programs. It is no secret that we often find ourselves staring down the barrel of a loaded omnibus bill that blasts the country with unauthorized spending and harmful policy riders. I am working to ensure that our commitment to passing individual appropriations bills reflects the best use of taxpayer dollars, and that any spending packages are closely vetted for the harmful policies we became familiar with during one-party rule in Washington, D.C. I fought to pass the historic Fiscal Responsibility Act last year to restore sanity to our spending process, and annually submit project funding that comes home to Central Washington and helps nurture our economic prosperity year after year.
The task of funding the government is not an easy one; and the founders understood that it shouldn’t be. They knew that any substantive policy would take time to craft and evolve, and later, that no one party could do it alone. While we are forced to work across the aisle on the biggest pieces of legislation, like spending bills, it is critical we make the distinction that this process involves finding common ground, not compromising.
I remain committed to not compromising on our beliefs and positions, but to finding areas where we can agree and deliver a product that works for the people. After all, it’s our people that send us here, and it’s our people that we owe the highest standard of work that a public servant can offer.
