For some time now, I've heard lawmakers on Capitol Hill talk about the wild spending that's in our federal budget. Look almost anywhere and you'll hear that something must be done to get America's deficit down.
Some lawmakers on the right have been bold enough to even suggest ideas on what could be done to stem the overwhelming deficit the U.S. government is heading for. When House Speaker John Boehner was asked about the working men and women who would lose jobs due to those cuts, he said, "So be it." That's a pretty big statement, but he made it.
When President Obama submitted his budget to Congress earlier this month, it was met with scrutiny on both sides of the aisle. Most notably, liberal supporters of the president were concerned that many of the cuts he proposed involved social programs designed to help low-income individuals. Even he understands how serious budgetary matters are for the health of our fiscal well-being. Yet, with both sides still at odds with one another over cuts, there's talk of a federal government shutdown.
But, for all of the scrutiny and criticism both parties are receiving on the proposed budget cuts, and despite both sides understanding how important this issue is, no one is willing to step up and have tough talks about entitlement programs. It has to be addressed.
There is no way that any lawmaker -- Republican or Democrat -- can call themselves a leader in Washington D.C. and not address the one area of spending that accounts for a massive portion of our budget. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should see this as an opportunity to come together and work on a feasible solution to a spending challenge that truly hinders our budget. Instead, we're just having a good old session of the blame game, one in which everyone loses. If the U.S. is to become fiscally solvent in the years to come, lawmakers must take a stand and begin to restructure our entitlement programs.
![]()
Some lawmakers on the right have been bold enough to even suggest ideas on what could be done to stem the overwhelming deficit the U.S. government is heading for. When House Speaker John Boehner was asked about the working men and women who would lose jobs due to those cuts, he said, "So be it." That's a pretty big statement, but he made it.
When President Obama submitted his budget to Congress earlier this month, it was met with scrutiny on both sides of the aisle. Most notably, liberal supporters of the president were concerned that many of the cuts he proposed involved social programs designed to help low-income individuals. Even he understands how serious budgetary matters are for the health of our fiscal well-being. Yet, with both sides still at odds with one another over cuts, there's talk of a federal government shutdown.
But, for all of the scrutiny and criticism both parties are receiving on the proposed budget cuts, and despite both sides understanding how important this issue is, no one is willing to step up and have tough talks about entitlement programs. It has to be addressed.
There is no way that any lawmaker -- Republican or Democrat -- can call themselves a leader in Washington D.C. and not address the one area of spending that accounts for a massive portion of our budget. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should see this as an opportunity to come together and work on a feasible solution to a spending challenge that truly hinders our budget. Instead, we're just having a good old session of the blame game, one in which everyone loses. If the U.S. is to become fiscally solvent in the years to come, lawmakers must take a stand and begin to restructure our entitlement programs.