With a growing national debt that threatens to destroy our economy, budget issues are a top priority. We are required to balance our budget annually in South Dakota, and the federal government should do the same. I support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring the government to balance its books.
In order to rein in our national debt and federal deficit, we must actively manage the biggest drivers of our debt—Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on our debt. These mandatory payments accounted for 71 percent of all federal spending in Fiscal Year 2021, and Congress does not even vote on this spending.