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ICYMI

How to Avoid the Coming Federal Debt Avalanche

The nation will be snowed under unless we tackle the main cause of the problem, mandatory spending.

Wonder Land: The project led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy puts citizens back on top. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/Patrick T. Fallon AFP/Getty Images

Raise taxes. Cut the Pentagon’s budget. Shut down the government. Eliminate federal agencies. We often hear these rallying cries when Congress considers the national debt. Yet our attention to the issue invariably wanes, as the nation seemingly becomes numb to it until the next spending deadline. Then, like clockwork, the battle of budget priorities begins.

As an appropriator, I have witnessed this cycle for years. Thanks to such creative thinkers as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, however, we are poised to approach the next round of deliberations with new energy and perspective. Their proposals for government reform through the Department of Government Efficiency—challenging our entrenched bureaucracy—align with conservative principles of efficiency and accountability. They are forcing a new conversation, geared toward delivering for the American people, and convening Republicans and Democrats to challenge stasis in Washington.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-to-avoid-the-coming-debt-avalanche-reform-mandatory-spending-4d9a5aec