Want to stop inflation? Call Congress

OPINION:

In April, America hit a very dangerous milestone, and not enough people in Washington took notice.

America’s national debt, which had already ballooned past $39 trillion, now exceeds our total gross domestic product.

At a Senate hearing last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent committed to reducing our deficit spending and the new debt we create. This is good news, but the harsh reality is that there is only so much he can do without Congress.

The inflation caused by Congress is killing the American dream right in front of our eyes. Everywhere you look, it is getting harder to buy a house, buy a car, save for your children’s education and prepare for your own retirement. It is time to address the real problem here: out-of-control congressional spending.

American politicians are addicted to spending. It is a common problem for many people in Washington. From fiscal years 2019 to 2025, the U.S. budget increased from $4.4 trillion to $7 trillion, a 59.1% increase.

In the same period, our population has grown from 328 million to nearly 342 million. That is a 4.1% increase. A 59.1% increase in spending for a 4.1% population increase does not make any sense.

Congress’ addiction to reckless spending is drowning America in debt and doing nothing but causing pain for hardworking families.

With every earmark for pet projects, every dollar for fraud-ridden programs and every resource sent to support countries that hate us, Congress is taking out a loan against American working families. The collateral is their economic future.

The “why” is that politicians in Congress do not care about how this affects the future of the country. At the very least, they do not vote as if they care.

Throughout both his terms, President Trump has tried to stem the tide of federal spending through a series of executive branch actions. Still, legislators of both parties have consistently ignored the long-term damage from overspending in favor of their own pet projects.

That is not what the American people want, and it is destroying the government’s ability to keep its promises with Social Security, Medicare and other critical programs.

I first ran for office to make it easier for workers and families to live and prosper. As a two-term governor of Florida, I cut taxes, slashed reckless spending, balanced the budget and paid down our state debt. That primed Florida to become a national economic powerhouse. Our model worked.

Since I was elected to the Senate, I have tried to bring that Florida model to the federal level and encourage my colleagues to join me. It means voting against wasteful spending. It means paying down our national debt. It means saying no to wasteful earmarks, slashing spending and cleaning up fraud-ridden programs.

In Washington, people love to talk about compromise as success. In this town, however, compromise just means everyone gets every dollar they want, so no one has to make a tough choice. That is not how the real world works.

Until Americans make their voices heard to the people elected to serve them, politicians will not listen. This is yet another reason we need to pass my bill to enforce term limits in Congress and force elected leaders to make smart choices instead of engaging in political stupidity.

By overspending today, Congress is denying the American dream to the next generation.

When the cost of living keeps growing but jobs dry up and wages don’t grow, how can a family expect to buy a house or raise children who have better lives than their parents?

Congress needs to take a hard look in the mirror and think about how our votes help and hurt the American people and their future. We need to realize that we cannot borrow and spend our way into prosperity. Attempting to do so will kill the American dream.

If Americans start calling their representatives and senators and tell them to stop destroying the buying power of their dollar, they will listen and make the simple choice to stop spending your money. Yet without urgency, nothing changes.

Politicians feel the pinch only when the government piggy bank is about to run out of money — either through a shutdown or a debt-ceiling crisis.

That is why we need to confront the issue head-on. America is nearly $40 trillion in debt. We will eventually have to pay that back. We can either do it responsibly over time, or we can wait until the bill comes due.

The first way preserves the strength of the dollar and our economic success. The alternative could force inflation to levels unseen since the Weimar Republic or Argentina’s financial crisis.

Until Congress is ready to make the tough but necessary decision to rehabilitate its spending habits, inflation will continue.

It can be done. Republicans forced a balanced budget when President Clinton was in office. All it takes is the American people demanding that they be put first again.

• Rick Scott is the senior U.S. senator from Florida.