4 minPolitics
Burlison Blasts Fellow Republicans Over Federal Spending
Rep. Eric Burlison accuses lawmakers in both parties, including Republicans, of being "drunk on spending other people's money" as the national debt exceeds $40 trillion. He warns that inflation and rising interest rates will force painful cuts and urges the GOP to offer a clear economic vision focused on healthcare costs ahead of the midterm elections.
Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison is accusing his own party of failing to confront federal spending, saying that too many Republicans join Democrats in avoiding the difficult votes needed to reduce the national debt. In an interview, Burlison said most of his colleagues are "drunk on spending other people's money," and he warned that the bill will eventually come due for working families.
Burlison, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, pointed to a national debt that has surpassed $40 trillion. He argued that overspending has already produced inflation that is difficult to control and interest rates that have climbed sharply. "At some point, you can't keep borrowing money," he said, adding that lawmakers who refused to cut spending will eventually be forced to do so. He described the situation as a party that will end in a painful hangover, with all of Washington waking up to the consequences.
The congressman said he and a small group of like-minded lawmakers had to fight hard to secure any spending reductions in the major budget package, facing criticism from the left and resistance from members of their own party. He said hundreds of amendments to cut spending have been submitted to the appropriations committees, but every vote to reduce spending has failed. Burlison called that pattern a sign that Congress avoids difficult decisions, and he urged his colleagues to look in the mirror rather than blame others.
Healthcare costs are at the center of Burlison's economic argument. He said the average American family of four paid about $6,000 a year in insurance premiums in 2000, while today that figure has reached $27,000. If premiums had simply tracked normal inflation, he said, the same family would be paying roughly $11,000. That gap of about $16,000, he argued, is crowding out other priorities and making it harder for young people to buy homes, for families to eat out, and for people to take vacations.
Burlison said his office has been pushing leadership for at least two years to address affordability, including a proposal he calls the Great American healthcare plan and separate legislation on housing costs. He said the ideas have been put in front of leadership repeatedly, but Washington does not like to do difficult things. Fixing healthcare, he added, is the single most important task Congress should take up.
He also reflected on the early enthusiasm around the Department of Government Efficiency, calling it the most exciting thing he had seen in politics. But he said the excitement faded as some of the most entrenched members of Congress rushed to embrace the effort publicly while voting against every spending reduction brought to the floor. Burlison described himself as a nearly extinct member of the Republican Party who still believes in fiscal prudence, small government, and free markets.
With midterm elections approaching, Burlison warned that Republicans have a messaging problem. He said it is not enough to run against a platform and that the party must offer a clear vision of what it would do if reelected. Asked what Republicans would accomplish, he said, many voters would not know. He has urged his colleagues to focus on the economy and especially on healthcare, which he said is eating away at discretionary income and driving the affordability crunch felt across the country.
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