Where is the Money Going?

The fix is in. Did you know, Americans spent more on taxes (on average) than food and clothing combined in 2016? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average U.S. tax bill has increased by 41.13 percent in just three years.

No wonder half of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Meanwhile, the federal debt stands at $19.976 trillion, which is bigger than U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).

You can’t help but wonder, where is the money going?

The National Institutes of Health spent $1.3 million on a campaign to convince young women to avoid tanning beds. Medicaid has lost $142.7 billion since 2009 to payment mistakes and fraud. Other government agencies spent almost half a million dollars to open an exhibit featuring medieval smells. This list barely scratches the surface of the waste, fraud, and abuse in our current federal budget.

Our national debt can be explained in one, simple truth: It’s always easier to spend somebody else’s money.

Following that logic, we should also believe: it’s always easier to cut somebody else’s budget. However, members of Congress deal in a currency different from dollars and cents.

Cutting the budget means closing loopholes and eliminating special deals for the wealthy and well-connected. If members of Congress pass a budget that levels the playing field for all Americans, they stand to lose some very powerful fundraisers and special interest voting blocs.

This month, Congress is back in session and set to debate over the debt limit, multiple appropriations bills, and the FY 2018 Budget Resolution. It will be the first real test for the Republican-led Congress to keep their promise to restore fiscal responsibility in Washington.

If they fail to pass a responsible budget, the Republican Party will be sending a clear message to grassroots America that a GOP-led Congress is simply more of the same. The revolving door of power and corruption in Washington will continue to spin.

It’s time to take a stand. The American people aren’t being heard by government because the game is rigged. Washington isn’t broken. It’s “fixed.”