The U.S. national debt recently surpassed $34 trillion.

$34,000,000,000,000!

To put this astronomical figure in perspective, that’s about $100,000 per American.

Additionally, $34 trillion is approximately the value of China, Germany, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom’s economies combined.

Undoubtedly, the greatest threat to America’s future is our soaring national debt, which continues to climb higher by the second. In fact, this sum swells at such an alarming rate that the U.S. accumulated more than $2 trillion in just the last seven months.

Folks, this is simply unsustainable. To save our nation, economy, and future generations from financial failure, Washington must stop spending borrowed money. Yet politicians in both parties are perfectly content with maintaining the status quo.

As you know, part of government funding is set to expire on Friday, January 19th — placing Congress in the midst of another funding fight. Lawmakers are considering both topline spending for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) and legislation to avert a government shutdown.

Unfortunately, neither issue is being managed in a conservative, fiscally responsible manner.

The sham bipartisan spending deal increases government spending by roughly $82 billion over the combined total of House Republicans’ proposed appropriations bills for FY24. In total, FY24 spending by government agencies, known as programmatic spending, is more than $68 billion higher than the already high statutory cap set last year by the “Fiscal Responsibility Act.” Plus, since Republican leadership abandoned critical leverage during negotiations, there are zero conservative policy wins in this deal.

As for avoiding a government shutdown, congressional leaders are pushing another short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to simply kick the can of government funding down the road. Despite already pushing funding deadlines for FY24 spending bills twice, leaders are gearing up to pass yet another CR to extend current funding to early March. I strongly oppose this “clean” CR that merely pushes our responsibility to fund the government back a few weeks, as this simply buys Speaker Johnson and Senate Leader Schumer more time to iron out spending bills to match their out-of-control spending levels. At minimum, House Republicans must use this opportunity to force the Senate to consider single-subject spending bills that the House already passed last year, as well as H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, to address the ongoing invasion at our southern border. 

Bottom line, you and your family didn’t send me to Congress to rubberstamp the Swamp’s status quo spending.

Given our dire economic outlook, Washington must drastically reverse course by passing a balanced budget, cutting wasteful spending, and practicing financial discipline. Please know that as the funding battle continues, I remain strongly opposed to any “solution” that fails to prioritize fiscal responsibility or secure the southern border, and I will continue fighting with my conservative colleagues to get our nation’s fiscal house in order.

As you know, congressional leaders reached an agreement on the overall price tag for Fiscal Year 2024 government spending bills. The bipartisan spending deal increases spending and includes zero conservative policy wins.

I want to hear from you! Do you support the bipartisan spending deal?

As you may know, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent blunder is raising eyebrows and national security concerns. Austin was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for days without notifying the White House — including President Biden. Following condemnation from both parties for his severe breach of protocol, Secretary Austin finally shed light on his mysterious absence. The Pentagon revealed that Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent a prostatectomy late last month. Austin was then admitted to Walter Reed on January 1st due to complications from his surgery.

While I certainly wish Secretary Austin a full and speedy recovery, we cannot turn a blind eye to this debacle. At a time of significant global instability, Austin’s lapse in judgment unquestionably jeopardized our national security. If he doesn’t think that a hiatus in performing the responsibilities of his position as Secretary of Defense warrants an immediate notification to our Commander-in-Chief, then he clearly doesn’t think much about his role in keeping Americans safe. From the Biden Administration's botched Afghanistan withdrawal and injection of wokeness into the military to Secretary Austin’s ill-advised disappearance, I’m deeply troubled by the Pentagon’s pattern of incompetence, poor decisions, and bad headwork. The American people deserve transparency and accountability on this matter — starting with Secretary Austin’s resignation.

Rep. Clyde Blasts Sham Bipartisan Spending Deal

Lawmakers remain in Washington this week, facing a critical government funding deadline. On Friday, a portion of government funding will expire — triggering a partial government shutdown if Congress fails to pass a spending measure. However, as I’ve shared with you, I remain vehemently opposed to both the bipartisan deal that increases topline spending and the proposed short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), that does nothing to address the Senate's inaction on the seven appropriations bills the House has already passed. Please know I will continue fighting to get our government back to using our precious tax dollars in a conservative and fiscally responsible manner.

Additionally, the House is expected to consider the following legislation:

• H.R. 6918, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act: Last year, President Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule to restrict Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) funds for pregnancy centers that provide support to mothers and families that choose life, clearly violating the 1996 law creating TANF that prohibits Administrations from regulating its funds. In response, House Republicans’ pro-life legislation, H.R. 6918, prevents the HHS Secretary from restricting these funds in order to ensure mothers, babies, and families receive the support they need.
• H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act: This legislation requires universities and higher education institutions to communicate and distribute information informing pregnant students of their rights, accommodations, and resources available to them. Student mothers choosing life should have every opportunity to know and exercise their rights while pursuing higher education, and they deserve our support and help to succeed on campus.
• H. Res. 957: It’s no secret that President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas have created, fueled, and exacerbated the ongoing crisis at our southern border. H.Res. 957 condemns the Biden Administration’s open border policies, disregard for national security, and public safety crisis along our southern border, and urges President Biden to reverse course.

To follow along with my work in Washington, please follow me on please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Gettr, and X. Have a blessed week!