I have a lot of problems with federal spending, and now it’s time to hear all about them!
~ Rand Paul
Happy Festivus!
How is 2024 already wrapping up? It feels like we blinked, and history dumped a year’s worth of plot twists on us. Donald Trump dodged two assassination attempts, Vice President Kamala Harris ousted President Biden from the presidential race last minute only to fail spectacularly, the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris captured global attention with a brilliant display of breakdancing from our friends in Australia, and November handed control of Congress to the Republicans. Yet, even amid these seismic events, one issue remained unchanged—the ever-mounting national debt.
Last Festivus, we bemoaned the national debt nearing $34 trillion. In just a year, Washington’s career politicians and bureaucrats have managed to push it beyond $36 trillion—unsurprisingly, with hardly a second thought.
Who’s to blame for our crushing national debt? Everybody. This year, members of both political parties in Congress voted for massive spending bills, filled with subsidies for underperforming industries, continued military aid to Ukraine, and controversial climate initiatives. As Congress spends to reward its favored pet projects, the American taxpayers are forced to pay through high prices and crippling interest rates.
The same big spenders teamed up, yet again, to continue sending Americans’ hard-earned money to foreign countries, funding endless wars, all while STILL ignoring our wide-open southern border.
And our mountain of debt will continue to pile even higher. The Congressional Budget Office predicts we will add an average of $2.1 trillion in debt annually for the next decade. According to a July House Budget Committee Report, the U.S. government will add over $6.4 billion of debt every single day for the next ten years, borrowing over $268 million every hour, $4.5 million every minute, and over $74,401 every second.
This year, I am highlighting a whopping $1,008,313,329,626.12. That’s over $1 trillion in government waste, including things like ice-skating drag queens, a $12 Million Las Vegas pickleball complex, $4,840,082 on Ukrainian influencers, and more! No matter how much money the government has wasted, politicians keep demanding even more.
As always, taking the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but I’ve been fighting government waste like DOGE before DOGE was cool. And I will continue my fight against government waste this holiday season.
So, before we get to the Feats of Strength, it’s time for my Airing of (spending) Grievances!
