OPINION:
When Congress returns to Washington after its summer break, one of its top priorities needs to be resolving pending funding issues. The two biggest decisions relate to President Biden’s supplemental funding request for FY’23 and the FY’24 annual appropriations.
Mr. Biden has submitted an over $40 billion supplemental funding request for disaster assistance, in Ukraine, and the border. Clearly, additional funding for disaster assistance is justified, especially considering the tragic loss of life and property associated with the recent fires in Maui. However, the other two funding requests are highly suspect and need to be treated differently.
The U.S. has already provided over $120 billion in military and economic assistance to Ukraine before this supplemental request. This is multiple times what European countries have provided even though the conflict is on their continent and represents a greater threat to their security than ours.
We need to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression but there is a limit regarding what we should do. We have rising deficits and escalating debt burdens that need to be addressed. In addition, the U.S. has done much more than our NATO allies in connection with defense spending for far too long. The U.S. must not write a blank check for Ukraine’s assistance and needs to provide incentives for European counties to do more for Ukraine. Therefore, any future funding assistance for Ukraine should be based on a matching approach. Specifically, the U.S. should match future aid provided by European countries rather than providing unrestricted advance funding. The days of the U.S. acting as “Uncle Sugar” need to end.
The situation at our southern border is outrageous and unacceptable. The border is not secure and the current handling of the material that was purchased for the border wall is shameful and fiscally irresponsible. While some additional funding may be needed, any such funding should be restricted to border security needs. Most current border funding is for processing and distributing illegal immigrants. This is contrary to the rule of law and is causing significant disruption and hardship in many areas around the country. This must stop! Therefore, any additional funding should not be able to be used to support status quo border and immigration policies.
Ideally, border-related funding should be restricted to prevent current policies that are contrary to the rule of law. Persons who cross the border illegally should be sent home. Funding for that purpose is appropriate. States should be able to take reasonable steps to protect their international borders if the federal government fails to do its job. The federal government should also declare the Mexican cartels to be terrorist organizations given the national security and public health implications of their human and drug trafficking activities. After doing so, we should tell the Mexican government that we will do what it takes to neutralize these groups if the Mexican government does not do so. Funding for such actions should also be provided. One thing is clear, the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable.
Regarding Fiscal 2024 funding, presumably, the final appropriations bills will follow the agreement that was reached to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling in June of this year. We must constrain federal spending and not allow federal debt to continue to grow faster than the economy. Avoiding a government shutdown is likely to require a Continuing Resolution (CR). Any such CR should make it clear that it is only authorizing funding of base recurring spending at FY2023 levels. Therefore, any one-time and supplemental funding items relating to FY2023 would not be authorized as part of the CR.
Given the recent downgrading of U.S. debt by Fitch and the Congressional Budget Office’s recent announcement that the FY2023 deficit is likely to be over double the FY2022 level, we must take steps to address our structural fiscal imbalance. Two key steps should be included in any bipartisan spending compromise.
First, the debt ceiling has failed to limit dramatic increases in federal spending and escalating debt burdens. We need a Fiscal Responsibility Constitutional Amendment to bind both current and future Congresses and Presidents. To advance this effort, any appropriations agreement should require consideration and a vote on HCR 24 which could empower the states to propose and adopt a Fiscal Responsibility Amendment if Congress fails to do so.
Second, the Budget Resolution and any appropriations agreement should include, and Congress should enact a statutory Federal Fiscal Sustainability (Debt) Commission. This statutory commission should be comprised of capable, credible, non-conflicted, and diverse individuals, including political affiliations. It should actively engage the public, and make a comprehensive set of budget, spending, and tax recommendations that would be guaranteed a vote by the next Congress. Anyone who thinks that Congress will restore fiscal sanity through the normal legislative process is naive.
• The Hon. David M. Walker is the former U.S. Comptroller General and Co-Founder and Board Member of the Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.