Congress Has Opportunities to Rein In Federal Spending
As America begins celebrating its 250th birthday, it would be a great gift to the people to eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse and reduce the $38.4 trillion national debt. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that annual deficits will average $2 trillion by 2035, and the debt will rise to $52 trillion. Congress should use the fiscal year 2027 budget process to reduce government waste, fraud, and abuse, cut regulations, and pave the way for substantial reductions in the deficit and debt.
On January 8, 2026, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) unveiled its budget proposal for the federal government, intending for it to be “a roadmap for […] restoring America’s position as the world’s most prosperous, innovative, and free society.” The budget includes pro-growth policies like codification of President Trump’s energy agenda and tax cuts and dedicates a whole section to reducing government waste. Many of the RSC’s proposals are found in Citizens Against Government Waste’s Prime Cuts 2025 report, including the elimination of National Endowments for Arts and Humanities and decreases in discretionary funding for duplicative and wasteful agencies and programs.
On January 13, 2026, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) and the RSC announced they support a second reconciliation package, which would create more opportunities to save taxpayer dollars and eliminate government waste. Priorities for the second package should include eliminating the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and reforming the 340B Drug Discount Program.
On January 9, 2026, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced H.J. Res. 139, a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to maintain a balanced federal budget. The amendment must be adopted by both chambers of Congress by a two-thirds majority, and then 38 states must agree to its ratification for it to take effect. The resolution is essential to making legislators more accountable for the expenditure of taxpayer dollars.
And as one example of how the fiscal year appropriations process is being used to restrain the growth of spending, the conference version of H.R. 7006, the “Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act 2026,” includes provisions to modernize the Internal Revenue Service to better detect fraud, increase consumer freedom by repealing costly Biden-era regulations, and identify underused federal spaces.
While efforts to rein in spending through the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process have been a good start to restraining the growth of the federal government, more needs to be done to make substantial cuts in wasteful spending and get the deficit and debt under control. The American people could then celebrate American’s 250th Anniversary with more confidence in the future.
