Leadership betrays Republican values
When Americans visit our nation’s capital, they are guaranteed to encounter a few things: Metro delays, overpriced beers and Republicans talking about cuts to spending. Fiscal responsibility is as quintessentially Republican as quoting President Ronald Reagan. But there is a difference between saying the right things on the campaign trail and making the tough votes in Washington when they matter most.
Congressional Republicans made good on their campaign promise to lower taxes with the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” which saved a typical family of four $1,200. A temporary spike in the deficit was to be expected following these cuts. It’s simple kitchen table economics: If you bring in less money but keep spending the same, your credit card bill is going up.
Cutting taxes was only half the battle. House Speaker Paul Ryan was supposed to finish the job with corresponding spending cuts, but instead he forced through a $1.3 trillion spending bill that will bring trillion dollar deficit.
Let this betrayal of Republican val- ues serve as a reminder that leadership matters. It’s not enough to have fiscal conservatives at the wheel; they must have the courage and discipline necessary to move the agenda forward.
History shows that deficits disappear in an environment of spending cuts and economic growth. When businesses thrive, corporate and individual tax revenue go up. It’s the responsibility of leaders to make sure Congress uses this revenue to pay down the debt, not squander it with new spending.
Republicans should worry less about the deficit and focus on electing fiscal conservatives with guts to leadership positions, like Rep. Jim Jordan. Rep. Jordan would fight to protect free markets, cut spending, and promote economic growth, the perfect formula to get government back in the black.
If Republicans advance a policy agenda of spending cuts and economic growth, deficit decreases will naturally follow. Like Reagan said, “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”