How many times do you think Congress has raised the national debt ceiling? Twenty, thirty, or maybe even forty? Any one of those answers would be jarring, but the unfortunate reality is woefully execrable. Since 1960, our government has raised the debt ceiling seventy-eight times (U.S. Department of the Treasury). While this is a temporary necessity in order to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on almost $35 trillion in debt (fiscaldata.treasury.gov), it is still an urgent and highly pressing issue the United States is facing. If our legislative body had term limits, their misuse of taxpayer money would be all but completely diminished, and their plans to reduce the national debt wouldn’t be at sixes and sevens.
One arbitrary, $105 million congressional expenditure was the construction of an airport and its respective harbor in Akutan, Alaska. On the surface, it may appear to be an understandable, even necessary expense- but it was built in a town with 75 full-time residents with no connecting roads, running water, electricity, and can only be accessed by boat (posey.house.gov). According to the National Review, this cuts them off from the village’s grocery store, post office, and fuel dock. The irony of it all is that there is not a single plane or scheduled air service. Way to go, Congress.
As of July 2024, Bob Menendez was charged for bribery and conspiring to act as a foreign agent for Egypt (among other things); however, that wasn’t Congress’s only tie to Egypt recently- an additional $6 million was spent to boost Egyptian tourism (fee.org). While this was done on the books, it makes it no more palatable in the eyes of struggling families. If the American people want Congress to allot a portion of the budget to foreign aid, it should be done, but only once their constituents are taken care of first. Our legislative body is meant to represent the will of the people, not those of foreign countries- regardless of how noble the intention might be.
Congress sits atop their privileged seats for so long that their definition of small is not equivalent to that of the typical American. The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) notes that the SBA (Small Business Administration) spent $200 million on household name artists through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. The report they cited states: “So-called ‘small business owners,’ such as Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and Smashing Pumpkins, received up to $10 million each… Even Nickelback received $2 million.” Arguably, this expense wasn’t necessary to begin with, but the fact it didn’t go to smaller businesses as it claimed to, is yet another sign of ineptitude on Congress’s part- both in its draft and execution.
Another incredibly excessive, cumulative, and preventable expense is America’s annual interest of $659 billion. FEE enumerates on the The Congressional Budget Office report, citing that the U.S. “will add an average of $2 trillion in debt annually for the next decade… The U.S. government will add over $5 billion of debt every single day for the next ten years. We borrow over $200 million every hour, we borrow $3 million every minute, and we borrow $60,000 every second.”
The clear question is “What is Congress’s plan?”. Last year, Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy introduced a proposal that would have increased the limit for this year (2024), cut spending to match that of 2022, limit future growth to 1%, and make more work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps); however, that sparked debate with members within his own party, let alone those in the house minority (pbs.org). Ultimately, it appears as though the one thing our legislative body claims to do- debate and draft solutions- has fallen short yet again, leaving this urgent situation in a state of awkward suspension.
One of the clear benefits of term limits is the frequent circulation of new ideas, people, and perspectives. Often, opponents of term limits cite the need for members of Congress to have experience, but it’s obvious that our seasoned incumbents are struggling to pave the way forward. If we had individuals with different insights and a variety of backgrounds, the United States would be able to easily combat a crisis like this- if not avoid it entirely. Instead, it’s barely hanging its head above water, pleading for change.