It’s a new year, a new Congress, and new leadership has taken the reins in Washington, D.C. But one thing that remains unchanged? Business as usual.
This week, the conversation in Congress has once again shifted to the need for a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. So much for the lofty promises from House Republicans that 2025 would bring a balanced budget.
For those unfamiliar with my ongoing frustration over CRs, let me explain why this issue is so critical. Congress holds the power of the purse, meaning it is responsible for funding the government through 12 individual appropriations bills each year. However, Congress has been derelict in this duty since 1997, failing to pass a full budget for 28 consecutive years—and the consequences fall squarely on the shoulders of American taxpayers.
You may be wondering: Why does this matter? How does it affect me?
Every time Congress fails to pass a proper budget and instead resorts to a CR, it neglects its responsibility to conduct oversight and rein in wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. This past weekend, reports surfaced that Congress had illegally appropriated over $500 billion in spending for programs whose authorizations had expired—some of them more than 40 years ago. And that was just in 2024 alone.
This reckless mismanagement is infuriating. As Americans, we are forced to watch in real-time as Congress drives our national debt past a staggering $36 trillion. Our hard-earned tax dollars are being thrown into the abyss of government inefficiency, all while our elected officials shirk their responsibility to restore fiscal sanity.
For the past month, Elon Musk and his DOGE Task Force have been exposing the depths of government waste and corruption, and with every new revelation, the scale of mismanagement and misuse of taxpayer money becomes more apparent. One would hope that congressional leadership is paying attention—that they would recognize this financial crisis and take action to curb reckless spending, at the very least by returning to pre-COVID-19 spending levels.
Instead, they continue to maintain the inflated spending levels set by Nancy Pelosi during the pandemic, keeping billions flowing to programs that are no longer needed. This bloated, unnecessary spending creates endless opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse—all at the taxpayer’s expense.
This newspaper is committed to transparency and accountability, and we urge our readers to take action. Call your representatives in Washington, D.C. Let them know that you oppose runaway spending and demand responsible budgeting. Remind them that they were elected to serve the people—not to take the easy way out with short-term fixes that drive inflation higher.
The time for empty promises and irresponsible shortcuts is over. Congress must do its job.