WASHINGTON, DC — As the federal government continues to march towards a possible government shutdown, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern (OK-1) appeared before a breakfast meeting of The Ripon Society yesterday, delivering remarks in which he discussed how the RSC has worked to produce a balanced budget, and offer solutions to the many other pressing matters the House is facing.
Hern, who was first elected in 2018, serves as Chairman of the RSC for the 118th Congress. Founded in 1973, the RSC “exists to bring like-minded House members together to promote a strong, principled legislative agenda that will limit government, strengthen our national defense, boost America's economy, preserve traditional values and balance our budget,” per the Committee’s website.
“I made it a point [for] the RSC to set the example for the conference,” Hern stated in his opening remarks. “The RSC really is the conservative conscience of the conference. We're happy warriors. We're really about policy, not about politics.
“Today the RSC is as large as it's ever been in its 50-year history. There are 180 members in the RSC out of the 218 Republicans. And it's not just the very hard conservative right, or the very moderate folks that are not in there. There's kind of a splattering of folks throughout, but it really is a great place to have great policy conversation.”
The Chairman said the committee convenes every Wednesday to hear from a variety of experts, both from inside and outside the political bubble, who, “talk to us about things that really matter, which all goes together to form the pinnacle of the RSC every single year, which is to put out a budget. And the budget always balances.”
The Oklahoma lawmaker then specified that the budget, which serves as “an aggressive roadmap,” may not be “
the roadmap,” but it still provides Congress a clear path to a balanced budget.
Hern, who served as the Chairman of the Budget and Spending Taskforce in the 117th Congress, also shared that up until U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) held a markup just weeks earlier, he had not seen anyone else produce a balanced budget since he joined Congress.
“So, four years in a row, there has been nobody else that's currently in Congress that has done that. We're in a world of hurt, and for us to continue to ignore it is a sin. It really is. I mean, it's doing such a disservice to our kids, our grandkids, and to America as we know it.”
Shifting gears, the Congressman then addressed the threat posed by China.
“Two weeks ago, we released an overarching all-encompassing China bill that the Speaker will use, and things will come out of that – TikTok was one. We're not anti-TikTok. We're anti using the data of our kids and our companies as a weapon, as a fuel for AI. And I'll be the first to say this – China knows that we do the same thing. That's why they're curtailing the use of our technology.
“This is an economic war across the front. And for our friends that are in Japan and others, they know this. They live it every single day. And for us to ignore it is doing a disservice to our true allies.
“When we lay out this budget, this budget identifies all of those areas. It identifies the areas of spending that need to be addressed. It identifies the security of this nation because without the security of this nation, especially our southern border, we have zero security. And we have to recognize that while we're trying to save nations around the world, we're doing a disservice to this nation we currently live in.
Hern, an entrepreneur in ventures including fast-food franchises, banking, and manufacturing, looked at the federal budget through the lens of a business mogul.
“But this budget, like I said, balances in seven years, and gives some flexibility in there to get the balance in ten years. If you went and told the CEO of your company or if you are the CEO, that, 'We're going to get this company under control and it's going to take seven or ten years to do it.' You wouldn't even be considered as the CEO.
“We're trying to shrink the deficit so that spending matches revenue – something every single American has to do every single day. And so that's what we do in this budget.
“Democrats are really bad at taxing and spending. If you don't believe it, look at Joe Biden's budget – raise taxes, spend more. It never balances, ever. But quite frankly, Republicans only win because they're not as bad as Democrats. And I have said this time and time again, we have to be better Republicans at honoring what our creed was 170 years ago in Wisconsin that says that we're going to be fiscally responsible.
“Are we really winning on Republican issues like securing our border? Are we limiting government from being involved in our lives? … We're not winning these battles. We have to start focusing on winning some battles. Quit trying to win the war, win some battles, and win enough of those so that we can start beating this curve. It's a big behemoth. We have to work together.”
To view Congressman Hern’s remarks before The Ripon Society yesterday, please click the link below :
WATCH HERE
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.
For more information on The Ripon Society, please visit www.riponsociety.org.
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