The biggest impact of Donald Trump’s brief second term has resulted from the DOGE investigations into federal government spending — particularly the wasteful and unauthorized spending of USAID. The headlines have exploded over social media and elsewhere regarding USAID’s promotion of LGBTQ in foreign countries, funding of left-wing American (and foreign) media outlets, funding of terrorist organizations around the world, money laundering for American politicians, bribing foreign governments to censor social media and other activities yet to be exposed. Secretary Marco Rubio has announced that USAID’s legitimate activities (insert grain of salt here) can be achieved with only 2 percent of its workforce. Elon Musk has referred to these revelations as proof that the entire modern Left is nothing but smoke and mirrors. That the Left’s funding, writing, ideas, and influence are creatures of an out-of-control shadowy federal agency would indicate that Musk is correct.
There have been three watershed moments in my lifetime that provided hope for the survival of the free world: (1) The opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989 followed shortly by revolution in other Warsaw Pact countries; (2) The election of a GOP majority in both houses of Congress in 1994 for the first time in forty years — thus proving that Congress need not be the exclusive domain of the Democrats; and (3) The DOGE revelations about federal spending in the past week — especially the USAID revelations. The DOGE revelations rival the others in importance because the real power in Washington has resided in the executive branch bureaucracy for many years. The discoveries of the past week reveal that our own federal bureaucracy has been as formidable an enemy of freedom as was the old Soviet bloc or our own Democrat congressmen. The remedial actions of the Trump administration show that the federal bureaucracy can be seriously reduced. Politico’s difficulty in making payroll this week indicates that at least some portion of the left-wing establishment cannot function without government subsidies. More revelations are expected as DOGE investigates more of the federal bureaucracy. The opening of the Berlin Wall in October, 1989 set off a two-year chain of events that resulted in the end of the Soviet Union. This week’s revelations might also be only the beginning. Great savings have been achieved already. We might yet see serious reduction in the federal deficit. The possibilities are momentous and historic.
Past Republican administrations were satisfied merely to reduce the rate of growth in federal programs (while Democrats and their compliant media accused them of starving children). Reducing the rate of growth will not do (it never really did).
will be no default (Of course, there will eventually be a default — but only if the federal government keeps raising the debt ceiling.)
Republicans have always caved in to the debt-limit hysteria. But there is one big difference this time. The DOGE revelations have begun to show how the federal government spends its money and how quickly we can achieve real savings by cutting this waste and fraud. The idea of borrowing additional amounts will seem even more absurd than it does now. The public will be less inclined to borrow more money to pay for the items that DOGE has disclosed. We must focus our discussion endlessly on the items that DOGE uncovers. Each of these items should be the subject of investigations, hearings, podcasts, columns, books, documentaries, etc. We should focus on who is responsible, how they did it, who covered it up, whether we can recover the money, etc. It will be much easier to oppose more borrowing if we discuss the DOGE revelations constantly.
A government “shutdown” would be a blessing. Instead of raising the debt limit, we could shut down “nonessential” operations and fund only what tax revenue covers. Leftist propaganda and money laundering would continue to whither. Every time we reached the debt ceiling in the past without an agreement to raise that ceiling, the executive branch performed a theatrical “shutdown” in which “nonessential” functions temporarily ceased and federal employees stayed home until the GOP caved in. We can make that happen indefinitely during the next debt ceiling “crisis.” Federal spending would not exceed tax revenue for an extended period. Harmful federal activities would not take place. Because the government would not spend more than it raises in taxes, there would be no inflation. Prices might not fall, but they would stop rising.
We cannot raise the debt ceiling as part of a “deal.” Democrats renege on deals. Democrats have nothing we want. Democrats might promise to support spending cuts, but the GOP can do that without them — especially if there is a government shutdown. The GOP seeks to restore fiscal sanity, stabilize the currency and save civilization. The Democrats do not want those things. There is no basis for a deal.
A deal that averts a shutdown would be a slap in the face to the voters that put Trump over the top in November. Increasing the debt limit now would be the equivalent of throwing a speeding car into reverse on the highway. Spokesman and real reporters have publicized long lists of wasteful and counterproductive spending that DOGE has just discovered. A debt ceiling deal would require the Republicans to tell their voters that we are going to continue wasteful overspending in exchange for going deeper in debt. Neither part of that deal would appeal to anyone that voted for Trump. It will not appeal even to some Democrat voters. The DOGE revelations have placed the wind at our back and given us great momentum. Democrat politicians and career bureaucrats are panicking. Resisting the debt ceiling propaganda would continue that momentum. If nothing else, a government “shutdown” would prove that shutdowns do not cause defaults. We will take away one more Democrat/media weapon.
Increasing the debt limit has never worked. Those cave-ins have taken the country in the wrong direction. We will soon face a choice: (1) take the country further in the wrong direction and lose the GOP voter base or (2) stop the bleeding while enduring further hate from a weakened establishment that has lost much of its funding. There is no real, long-term downside from doing the right thing.
Image: AT via Magic Studio
Jesus Christ is King
