As soon as once more, solely Rand Paul appears involved with stopping the federal government's reckless spending

America's authorities and spending unnecessarily go collectively like peas and carrots. It is a pricey drawback that has considerably elevated the nationwide debt and contributed to the nation's record-breaking inflation. This yr's omnibus invoice solely exacerbates this drawback. Ever the fiscal hawk, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as soon as once more seemed to curb authorities spending and warned of the issues to return if nothing modified. Over the past two days, he launched laws to restrict spending and likewise launched his 2022 Festivus Report.

This yr's Festivus Report highlighted the trillions of dollars the federal government wastes on pointless tasks. Within the report, Paul highlighted the spending from this previous yr and the way dire the nation's fiscal challenges can be over the following three a long time.

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"Final Festivus, we lamented over the nationwide debt reaching an astronomical $28.4 trillion. Shockingly, in a single quick yr, the profession politicians and bureaucrats in Washington have managed to breeze proper previous $30 trillion with out a lot as a second thought," the Republican senator wrote. "The debt has risen so quickly that the Congressional Price range Workplace tasks that, inside the subsequent 30 years, there may be not a single yr during which the federal funds will steadiness."

Moreover, Paul sought assist from his fellow senators to carry Congress accountable and curb such reckless spending. Whereas highlighting the issues within the omnibus yesterday, Paul launched an modification, SA 6561, to make Congress pay for the practically $2 trillion spending invoice as an alternative of simply including it to the debt. Sadly, the Senate rejected his efforts.

It's indicative of a bigger drawback within the nation, as the federal government's spending is now unsustainable. Fiscal duty was a conservative Republican concern, however Paul appears to be the one one critical about curbing spending. The omnibus invoice massively provides to the nationwide debt, will increase the scale of the federal government's forms, and omits any accountability for presidency spending.

Paul needed to vary that, however his efforts have been sabotaged by each Democrats and Republicans. By usurping a regulation often known as PAYGO, Congress was in a position so as to add trillions of dollars to the deficit with out having any plan on the best way to pay for such spending. In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner final yr, Paul warned about this precise factor.

"In response to the regulation that governs Congress's funds course of, this spending needs to be offset by equal cuts from elsewhere," he wrote. "The regulation known as PAYGO. However Republican management and Democrats are going to waive PAYGO, permitting Biden's spending spree to change into debt as an alternative of being offset by spending cuts."

Paul's laws would have amended the Congressional Price range Act of 1974 and elevated the variety of votes required within the Senate from 60 to 67 to waive the funds factors of order. Beforehand, Congress set a number of guardrails to keep away from passing any laws that will enhance the nationwide deficit. But, these have hardly ever, if ever, been used as a consequence of congressional loopholes in voting. Consequently, the deficit continues to extend.

As yesterday's vote confirmed, congressional spending is uncontrolled. Paul launched the modification to restrict the fiscal destruction the federal government has been getting away with for a lot too lengthy. Had the modification handed, it will have addressed the overspending considerations and blocked the invoice till Congress made quite a few revisions and spending cuts.

Of explicit concern have been the Republican senators who voted towards Paul's modification, a lot of whom beforehand touted their help for limiting authorities spending. Among the many senators to cave have been Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Invoice Cassidy (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Rob Portman (R-OH), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

To say it's discouraging to see this many Republicans go towards Paul's quest to restrict authorities spending is an understatement. These are legislators presupposed to be the adults within the room and proponents of sustainable authorities spending. Why they might associate with this invoice is undoubtedly puzzling, and it ought to elevate questions on their commitments to fiscal duty.

Failing to make use of their authority to make any significant change to the omnibus invoice's wasteful spending will in the end hurt the nation in the long term. They let the Republican Social gathering down, however extra importantly, they let the nation down. Paul can't proceed to be the one senator who takes motion to curb our nation's reckless spending habits. In any other case, our nation is doomed.