Patriot,

In case you missed my latest column that came
out before Christmas, I'm including it for you below.

Once again we saw the annual end-of-year D.C.
Christmas tradition -- a rush to avoid a government shutdown
because Congress did nothing month after month to deal with a
budget.

The battle between incoming president Donald
Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), the free-spenders in
the House and the Senate, and the more fiscal conservative
representatives indicates our work to reign in an out-of-control
government will require a lot of work for you and me in the new
year.

For now, I hope you are enjoying the holidays
with loved ones and getting some deserved rest.

For Liberty,

Ron Paul


End Congress's Christmas Tradition

This week saw a new twist in what has become
a D.C. Christmas tradition. I am not referring to the lighting of
the White House Christmas tree but to passage of a "continuing
resolution" (CR) funding the government and thus avoiding a
Christmastime government shutdown.


It took the production of three separate CRs
before one passed in the Senate after midnight Friday night and
was then signed by President Joe Biden.


A reason an earlier CR failed to obtain
congressional approval was that President-elect Donald Trump,
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, and Department of Government
Efficiency (DOGE) heads Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy called on
Republicans to oppose it. There was also opposition to the
inclusion of new spending, including 100 billion dollars in
disaster relief and an extension of the farm bill along with
billions of dollars more in aid for farmers. The farm provisions
were added at the request of Republican representatives from
rural areas. Many of these Republicans denounce welfare spending
and crony capitalism, while fighting to increase subsidies for
large agribusinesses and rich farmers. The CR that ultimately
passed included the disaster relief and the farm provisions.


President Trump wanted the CR to raise or
suspend the debt ceiling that was expected to be reached soon. It
is understandable that President Trump would want to avoid a
fight over the debt ceiling early in his second term. However,
refusing to raise or suspend the debt ceiling would benefit
President Trump's efforts to reduce wasteful spending.


The debt ceiling was created during World War
One to allow the Treasury to sell bonds without first obtaining
congressional authorization. Contrary to the claims of the big
spenders, failure to raise or suspend the debt ceiling would not
force the government to default or cause the government to not
"pay its bills." Instead, it would force the government to do
what ordinary people who find themselves over their heads in debt
have to do: reduce other expenses in order to pay their bills.
Saying a failure to raise or suspend the debt ceiling is
irresponsible is like saying a credit card company is
irresponsible for refusing to extend credit to a deadbeat.


Raising or suspending the debt ceiling helps
enable the continued growth of the welfare-warfare state, but the
real enabler of Congress's spending is the Federal Reserve's
monetization of government debt. The Federal Reserve monetizes
the federal debt via the purchase of Treasuries. Congress should
pass legislation forbidding the Fed from purchasing Treasuries so
the Fed can no longer enable Congress's reckless spending.


The Constitution gives Congress two primary
responsibilities: appropriating federal funds and declaring war.
Congress long ago abdicated its authority to declare war. The
practice of funding the government through CRs and omnibus
spending bills drafted by a few members and rushed through
Congress before most members have a chance to read them deprives
most members of the ability to fulfill their constitutional
responsibility to help determine how to best allocate taxpayer
dollars. It also denies members an opportunity to offer
amendments cutting spending. This is why everyone who supports
constitutional government and who understands the dangers of
increasing government debt should support ending Congress's
Christmas tradition.




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make a donation by mail, please send your check to Campaign for
Liberty, PO Box 104, Lake Jackson TX 77566 or you can call
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