House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed on Tuesday that Republicans will pursue fiscal responsibility and drastically reduce the scope of the government if they win big in November.
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, laid out a five-step plan during remarks at the New York Stock Exchange for what the GOP’s agenda will look like if Republicans win the White House and Senate, and keep the House majority.
He said the nation’s $35 trillion debt is an “unsustainable and frankly immoral position.” He cited economic historian Niall Ferguson to describe the precedent for an empire that spends more on its debt than its military budget.
“It happened with the French Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and as of this year, it’s happening right here in America,” Mr. Johnson said. “And it’s no surprise that many secretaries of defense and national security advisers have called the growing federal debt the greatest national security threat that we face as a nation.”
To combat that, Mr. Johnson said Republicans would pass an economic agenda based in large part on the plan installed and passed during then-President Trump’s term.
However, the federal debt increased by about $7.8 trillion during the four years of the Trump administration.
The GOP plans to roll back the Biden administration’s Green New Deal and Inflation Reduction Act to restore more energy production in the U.S. and to lower federal spending. Mr. Johnson said that the GOP would also reduce the size of the federal workforce and “root out” nonessential jobs within the government.
“Our government is going to be a responsible government with a reduced scope and reduced spending, a government that’s responsible enough to know that it can’t and should not do everything,” he said. “That’s because a government that promises to solve every problem will cause every problem, and that’s a road to serfdom, as history teaches.”
Republicans also want to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which have many provisions slated to expire in 2025. Mr. Johnson pointed to many policies that would be targets for extension, like restoring immediate expensing for research and development cost, corporate tax breaks, and a “strong” Child Tax Credit.
He also wanted to use the tax code “to deter illegal immigration and eliminate existing policies and loopholes that currently reward illegal aliens.”
Diminishing the country’s reliance on China for goods like critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and energy will also be a top priority for a Republican-led government. Mr. Johnson noted the slew of China-related bills the House passed last month and promised that another bipartisan measure to restrict outbound investments to China would be voted on during Congress’ lame-duck session after the election.
Republicans are also eyeing education reform. In particular, Mr. Johnson said that the plan would bolster school choice options for parents and hold universities responsible for “deeducation and out of control cost.”
At the top of his remarks, Mr. Johnson briefly touched on Iran’s “brazen attack” on Israel and urged the Biden administration to “deliver a strong message to the Iranian regime that this unjustified violence and terror has to end.”
Meanwhile, President Biden called on Congress to return to Washington to pass an emergency disaster funding measure to deal with the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. But Mr. Johnson said the recently passed stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown provided the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the funding it needed to respond.
“We will make sure that those resources are appropriately allocated amid the uncertainty and confusion that these tragedies bring,” he said.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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