Senator Ron Johnson

And I would agree the current CBO projection, that's what I'm talking about here, You know, going from 37 to 59 trillion dollars in debt is a rosy is, you know, the rosy scenario that that's as good as we're going to do. So we're simply we're simply this does not mean the moment in terms of what we have to do.

And I would agree the current CBO projection, that's what I'm talking about here, You know, going from 37 to 59 trillion dollars in debt is a rosy is, you know, the rosy scenario that that's as good as we're going to do. So we're simply we're simply this does not mean the moment in terms of what we have to do.

It covers the entire gamut of federal spending, education, welfare, food stamps, veterans benefits. Again, they've just transferred that into mandatory spending. So it's completely... out of sight, out of mind, and unaccountable.

It covers the entire gamut of federal spending, education, welfare, food stamps, veterans benefits. Again, they've just transferred that into mandatory spending. So it's completely... out of sight, out of mind, and unaccountable.

Well, discretionary is actually supposedly passed each year through an appropriation process, which is completely broken. We don't pass individual appropriation bills. We generally at best, which is awful, minibuses or omnibuses. These are these multi-thousand page bills. bills that get dropped on our desk and we have to vote on them literally within 24 to 48 hours. Nobody reads them.

Well, discretionary is actually supposedly passed each year through an appropriation process, which is completely broken. We don't pass individual appropriation bills. We generally at best, which is awful, minibuses or omnibuses. These are these multi-thousand page bills. bills that get dropped on our desk and we have to vote on them literally within 24 to 48 hours. Nobody reads them.

Nobody knows what's in them. That process is pretty broken down right now. We are operating for this fiscal year under a continuing resolution, which tweaks a few things, but it's basically spending at last year's levels on all those appropriated accounts. So again, that's about 25% of our budget. Then 75% is in the mandatory accounts, the entitlements and just other mandatory spending.

Nobody knows what's in them. That process is pretty broken down right now. We are operating for this fiscal year under a continuing resolution, which tweaks a few things, but it's basically spending at last year's levels on all those appropriated accounts. So again, that's about 25% of our budget. Then 75% is in the mandatory accounts, the entitlements and just other mandatory spending.

Well, let me give you an example from about three years ago. This was after COVID, and bipartisan bases were on a massive spending spree in 2020, but then the Biden administration just continued that. So, you know, we were in omnibus spending debate. And for the first time, even though the Republican Senate conference, we have a resolution against earmarks.

Well, let me give you an example from about three years ago. This was after COVID, and bipartisan bases were on a massive spending spree in 2020, but then the Biden administration just continued that. So, you know, we were in omnibus spending debate. And for the first time, even though the Republican Senate conference, we have a resolution against earmarks.

McConnell is negotiating an omnibus spending bill. And all of a sudden, members are sucking down earmarks. So I asked my colleagues at that time, I said, hey, anybody know how much in total we spent last year in the federal government? Room was dead silent. I went out to Washington Press Corps, asked the same question. Hey, anybody know how much we spent last year?

McConnell is negotiating an omnibus spending bill. And all of a sudden, members are sucking down earmarks. So I asked my colleagues at that time, I said, hey, anybody know how much in total we spent last year in the federal government? Room was dead silent. I went out to Washington Press Corps, asked the same question. Hey, anybody know how much we spent last year?

One reporter said it was over a trillion dollars. No, that's just discretionary spending. The answer was something like $6.3 trillion. Because we had gone from $4.4 trillion in 2019 up to $6.5 trillion. And we've never looked back. And the analogy I use is no family, if they had an illness, borrowed $50,000, pay medical bills.

One reporter said it was over a trillion dollars. No, that's just discretionary spending. The answer was something like $6.3 trillion. Because we had gone from $4.4 trillion in 2019 up to $6.5 trillion. And we've never looked back. And the analogy I use is no family, if they had an illness, borrowed $50,000, pay medical bills.

If they got well the next year, they wouldn't keep borrowing $50,000 to spend at that level. But that's exactly what we've done. But the point of my story was nobody knew in total how much we spend because we never even talk about it. I mean, talk about. So that's out of sight, out of mind. So it's completely out of control.

If they got well the next year, they wouldn't keep borrowing $50,000 to spend at that level. But that's exactly what we've done. But the point of my story was nobody knew in total how much we spend because we never even talk about it. I mean, talk about. So that's out of sight, out of mind. So it's completely out of control.

I mean, I am the guys, you know, starting with my Wall Street Journal column January 1st about return to a pre-pandemic, pre-pandemic global spending. I mean, I've been hammering the Senate Republican conference on a weekly basis. Just, you know, ad nauseum, quite honestly. But what's the pushback? What do they say? They just throw they throw in the towel. Well, it's too hard.

I mean, I am the guys, you know, starting with my Wall Street Journal column January 1st about return to a pre-pandemic, pre-pandemic global spending. I mean, I've been hammering the Senate Republican conference on a weekly basis. Just, you know, ad nauseum, quite honestly. But what's the pushback? What do they say? They just throw they throw in the towel. Well, it's too hard.

I mean, that's unrealistic. You just can't do it, even though I lay out. So let me just tell you how I laid out my pre-pandemic levels of spending. This is between Christmas and New Year's. I'm trying to figure out how can I communicate this? How can I justify this? What kind of control can we put on things? So I literally went back in history.

I mean, that's unrealistic. You just can't do it, even though I lay out. So let me just tell you how I laid out my pre-pandemic levels of spending. This is between Christmas and New Year's. I'm trying to figure out how can I communicate this? How can I justify this? What kind of control can we put on things? So I literally went back in history.