Time to end secret data laboratories—starting with the CDC
The American people are waking up to the fact that too many public health leaders have not always been straight with them. Despite housing treasure…
Thought Leader: Marty Makary
Newt Gingrich: President Trump Challenges the Congress
Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill has passed, Congress has set its sights on an even more ambitious long-term project. This new project will require five to seven years of creativity, thoughtfulness, and ingenuity: balancing the federal budget and beginning to pay down the national debt.
Achieving a balanced federal budget through economic growth, technological innovation, eliminating waste and inefficiency within the government and its contractors, and developing improved methods for delivering goods and services will lead to a genuine golden age of American prosperity, affordability, and security.
The American people overwhelmingly support balancing the budget. A recent Harvard-Harris Poll found that 80 percent of voters favor a balanced budget amendment. This support includes 83 percent of Republicans, 79 percent of Democrats, and 76 percent of independents.
President Trump understands that balancing the budget is both historically necessary and politically popular. When Republicans last achieved four consecutive balanced budgets–an accomplishment unmatched in a century–it reshaped Washington’s political landscape and sustained a Republican House majority for the first time since 1928.
Consider these recent statements from President Donald J. Trump:
During his address to a Joint session of Congress on March 4, Trump declared, “In the near future, I want to do what has not been done in 24 years–balance the federal budget. We’re going to balance it.”
In February, as Bloomberg Television reported, President Trump pledged, “We will take rapid action to battle government spending and increased borrowing costs.”
President Trump’s commitment to balancing the budget through fiscal discipline and innovation in a low-tax environment dates back well before his first presidency.
In his 2016 campaign, Trump insisted, “It can be done. It will take place, and it will go relatively quickly. If you have the right people, you can cut the numbers by two or three pennies and balance a budget quickly.”
We must remember how dramatically President Joe Biden’s spending spree increased both the national debt and the interest payments on that debt. The national debt currently stands at $36.4 trillion, nearly double the $19 trillion debt Trump targeted in 2016. At that time, Trump warned, “We can’t keep doing this. We have got to start balancing budgets.”
In fact, President Trump’s concerns about deficits and debt precede his political campaigns. At CPAC events in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Trump consistently condemned high taxes and rising debt.
However, the challenge facing President Trump and the Republican Congress has grown substantially due to the massive spending increases under the Biden administration. Biden’s policies significantly expanded government spending, further increasing the importance of balancing the budget and reducing debt-related interest payments.
Consider the analysis from Senator Ron Johnson:
President Trump’s last pre-COVID budget (FY 2019) totaled $4.4 trillion. The COVID crisis triggered emergency expenditures designed to avert economic depression, temporarily inflating the budget to $6.5 trillion in FY 2020. While President Trump intended spending to return to pre-pandemic levels, the Biden administration maintained spending at around $6.8 trillion to $7 trillion annually. This prolonged spending surge projected deficits totaling $21.8 trillion over the next decade, marking a 36 percent increase. Consequently, gross federal debt is expected to climb from $36.4 trillion today to at least $59.2 trillion by 2035, or roughly 135 percent of GDP.
Senator Johnson also reported that over the next decade, the U.S. will pay nearly $13 trillion solely in interest—a massive burden that severely restricts funding for other vital priorities.
Imagine a business or family required to pay $13 trillion in interest alone, far more than the projected defense spending during that period. Such debt would inevitably lead to bankruptcy and poverty. The government faces a similar risk. Continued deficits push up interest rates, cripple economic growth, crush small businesses, and divert capital from productive investments into servicing government debt.
Changing this trajectory is both necessary and achievable.
House Republicans already know a balanced budget is possible. In the 1990s, Republican leadership successfully delivered four consecutive balanced budgets, a feat unmatched in the previous 100 years.
A crucial first step could be voting on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. When Republicans pursued this in 1995, the House passed it by a 300 to 132 vote margin. In the Senate, the amendment fell short at 65-35, just one vote shy of passage (Senate Leader Bob Dole strategically switched to no to retain the option to revisit the vote).
At that time, House Republican leadership, including John Kasich, Dick Armey, Bill Archer, Bob Livingston, Tom Bliley, decided that despite narrowly missing formal passage, they would proceed as if the amendment had succeeded. With disciplined leadership, they balanced the budget within four years and sustained fiscal responsibility for four more years until discipline waned.
We can accomplish this again. America will greatly benefit from a government living within its means, maximizing prosperity, and securing a better future for all Americans.
Few figures in American politics bring the depth of insight and historical perspective that Newt Gingrich offers. As former Speaker of the House and a leading architect of the “Contract with America,” Gingrich has been at the center of transformative political strategy and policy for decades. A prolific author, Fox News contributor, and thought leader, he engages audiences with sharp analysis of current events, future trends, and the inner workings of Washington. Whether discussing politics, leadership, or global affairs, Gingrich delivers unmatched expertise and captivating commentary that equips audiences to better understand today’s rapidly changing world. Book Newt Gingrich for a keynote that’s as enlightening as it is timely, contact WWSG!
Relevant posts
Molly Fletcher: Can drive offset your burnout at work?
This piece is by Molly Fletcher. People assume that drive depletes energy. They believe that level of intensity, focus and daily effort leads to burnout.…
Thought Leader: Molly Fletcher
David Frum: How Harris Roped a Dope
This piece is by WWSG exclusive thought leader, David Frum. Vice President Kamala Harris walked onto the ABC News debate stage with a mission: trigger…
Thought Leader: David Frum
More with this speaker
Newt Gingrich: The Next Couple of Weeks Are Key in the Israel-Iran Ceasefire
Thought Leader: Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich: Who Governs America?
Thought Leader: Newt Gingrich