Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) tweets, "Republican leaders repeatedly say, "We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem." Right now, it doesn't appear that they are willing to fix it. I am going to insist that we do."
Republican leaders repeatedly say, "We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem."
— Ron Johnson (@RonJohnsonWI) May 18, 2025
Right now, it doesn't appear that they are willing to fix it.
I am going to insist that we do. pic.twitter.com/dGTY5t8Xvh
We have a spending problem. Spending alone does not amount to the entirety of the problem; it is a symptom. Our spending problem results from a priorities problem. Too much government spending results from undisciplined budgetary policies. Imprudent fiscal policies result from an ideological frame of approach that prioritizes spending the maximum allowable amount of federal government dollars, plus some more. It is a policy orientation toward government maximizing itself to (or even beyond) the limit, rather than being disciplined and intentional about what it does do.
The point being made by Sen. Johnson should be heard by other Republicans in Congress as a blaring warning siren that one key reason they are in the positions they currently occupy is to stop wasteful and reckless federal government spending. There is a limit to the amount of national spending that can be sustained.
The solution is for those elected under the pretext of stopping oversized spending to do what they are elected to do. When the Republican Party, the political party of the two that claims to forward principles of fiscal responsibility, wins an election, such as the 2024 elections yielded for the GOP, those elected Republicans are empowered to serve as a check on the reckless spending that Democrats would otherwise do. When those elected to stop reckless spending fail to do so, there is a threefold result. First, it devalues the electoral choice of voters who elected Republicans to provide fiscal responsibility. Second, it diminishes the Republican Party, which purports to stand for fiscal responsibility. Third, and perhaps most practically, it allows the reckless spending to continue, furthering an already perilous spending and economic situation.
If Republicans campaign as fiscal hawks who are sincerely tired of the immoral spending practices that the U.S. federal government has engaged in for too long, they must also govern unwaveringly toward that end.
Update:
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tweets, "Ron Johnson reminds us why we have a $37 trillion debt."
Ron Johnson reminds us why we have a $37 trillion debt:
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 18, 2025
“We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem” https://t.co/ItPPNUm13B
Editor's Note:
A tweet by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and its context have been added to the bottom of this post.
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