Conservatives have been very supportive of President Trump in his first term, but one issue has consistently drawn their ire during the Trump presidency. Many conservatives are frustrated with a lack of progress in tackling the national debt since the election of President Trump. Two lawmakers are doing something about it ahead of the debt ceiling deadline.
Senator David Perdue (R-GA) and Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) have introduced resolutions declaring the debt a national security threat. Congressman Biggs and Senator Perdue are calling for Congress to pass a balanced budget, something which has not been done since 1997.
Speaking from the CPAC convention hall, Senator Perdue described the national debt as the “greatest threat to our national security”.
“I believe it’s the quintessential crisis of our generation. It’s the greatest threat to our national security. And President Trump is moving to deal with that. We’re growing the economy right now. We’re believe we’ve lowered the debt curve by about $3 trillion over the next decade. But it’s continuing to grow,” said Perdue.
Perdue said the largest contributors to the national debt are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which are mandated parts of the federal budget. He said lawmakers need to start working on fixing that, a rare admission for any member of Congress. Perdue has made the issue a focus of his CPAC trip, speaking on a panel concerning the national debt.
Though non-binding, the resolution will be an important test for who in the Congress truly cares about fiscal issues.
