Some politicians and pundits would have you believe that reducing the $22 trillion national debt and balancing the budget would require the elimination of all federal domestic assistance programs. Under this false dilemma, calling for fiscal responsibility is tantamount to calling for the death of the poor and the elderly -- either we continue to grow the debt or we turn our backs on the needy.
But while shrinking the debt may require eliminating some duplicative government programs, the federal government can save billions every year by simply eliminating improper payments: in other words, by actually doing their jobs.
According to a new report from the Daily Signal, the feds wasted -- almost literally threw away -- 150 billion taxpayer dollars in 2018 alone. They did this via improper payments within some of the government's largest programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, and Social Security.
Sometimes, the government paid the wrong person or someone who had already died. Other times, they paid someone the wrong amount of money or for the wrong reason. Often, they paid someone who used the funds in a fraudulent way.
Senator Tom Coburn, Senior Adviser to the Convention of States, has stated many times that "every penny of the federal budget has a constituency," even the money that is duplicative, wasteful, and fraudulent. No federal legislator wants to "cut" anything that their constituents believe belongs to them.
This chart illustrates the problem in terrifying clarity:
What's to be done? If Congress can't even manage to eliminate wasteful spending, how can we expect them to make the really tough financial decisions for the good of future generations?
The truth is, we can't, which is why millions of Americans have joined the Convention of States Project.
An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that force Congress to be fiscally responsible. These amendments can mandate a balanced budget along with taxation and spending caps to keep the feds from simply raising taxes to keep up with expenses.
With constitutional requirements in place, Congress will have no choice but to cut spending and eliminate the waste, fraud, and abuse at so many federal agencies.
We can still save our children and grandchildren from an overwhelming debt burden, but we have to call the first-ever Convention of States NOW before it's too late.
Sign the Petition below to show your support!
