Whenever Republicans run for office, they say they’re going to go to work to reduce spending and the size and scope of government. But when they arrive in Washington, to paraphrase Stephen Slivinski, many Republicans stop viewing Washington as a cesspool and treat it more like a hot tub. They get comfortable with Congress because they want to rise in the ranks of the conference, get a coveted committee like Appropriations, and work their way into committee chairmanship or a leadership position.

On behalf of FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to support the Penny Plan Balanced Budget, S.Con.Res. 36, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The budget would repeal the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, utilize the penny plan for bringing federal spending under control, expand health savings accounts, and implement true budget process reform. Every one of these proposals is desperately needed when our country is staring down a debt-to-GDP ratio in 2028, in which debt held by the public nearly eclipses the size of the economy. This type of spending growth is unsustainable and the Penny Plan Balanced Budget proposes a way to rightsize the fiscal outlook of our country.

Since President Obama left office, congressional Democrats have developed a curious habit of pretending to be fiscal watchdogs. Unfortunately, they are only using federal spending as an excuse to feign moral outrage and play political theater.

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and strongly encourage him or her to cosponsor the One Percent Spending Reduction Act, H.R. 5572, introduced by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.). The bill, also known as the “penny plan,” would balance the federal budget in five years by simply cutting one penny from every dollar the federal government spends.

Opponents of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which delivered much-needed tax relief to the middle class and business owners large and small, have complained that the law is contributing to the increase in expected budget deficits over the next ten years. Certainly, budget deficits are a serious concern, and Congress has shown no interest in addressing the problem.

On April 10, 2018, President Donald J. Trump signed the Executive Order on Economic Mobility. President Trump’s plan outlines nine “principles of economic mobility” that are bound to lift struggling Americans towards self-sufficiency. Among these principles are boosting employment, promoting stable families, and choosing federalism over top-down programs.

Fiscal conservatives rightly opposed the Bipartisan Budget Act, H.R. 1892, because it blew through the spending caps by nearly $300 billion over two years and set the tone for more long-term spending by increasing the baseline at which Congress will budget. Still, this two-year budget deal only covers discretionary spending for FY 2018 and FY 2019 and doesn't touch mandatory spending, which includes programs like Medicare and Social Security whose funding runs on autopilot.