Balancing our budget might be painful - but it’s actually not complicated. Thousands of Utah families do it every month. As a small business owner I did it every year. It’s simple. Spend less than you bring in. Cut programs that don’t work. Say no to nice ideas we can’t afford.

The reason it’s not fixed is also simple: DC is full of politicians who are more worried about their next election than America’s next generation.

I’m not a politician - and I’m committed to solving real problems.

The US national debt is not new. The United States has carried national debt since the Revolutionary War. And for most of our history debt was a fraction of US GDP and only increased in times of extreme need - like during major wars or to build out necessary American infrastructure.

After growing steadily through the 1990’s and early 2000’s, US National Debt exploded in the last decade.

Instead of using debt to fund one time projects - we now use debt for everything. We borrow money to fund entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. We borrow money to fund the US military. We borrow money to fund excessive COVID era handouts. And we borrow money to fund growth in the federal government.

This change in how America uses debt is incredibly problematic - because it’s completely unsustainable.

Imagine spending twice your annual income on your credit card year after year. Eventually it will catch up to you. And very soon our national debt is going to catch up to all of us.

Within three years, just the interest payments on America’s 33 trillion dollar debt will be the second largest government expenditure - only behind Social Security. By the end of the decade, we are on pace to spend 2 trillion dollars per year on interest payments alone.

That’s thirty thousand dollars per Utah family, per year in just interest payments!

We know what happens when a country’s debt grows faster than its economy - which has been happening in America since the year 2000. It eventually triggers a debt explosion.

Where a country is so indebted that the economy crashes, GDP craters and it sets off an economic death spiral like we’ve seen in Greece, Argentina and Venezuela.

Today, the United States is among the top ten most indebted countries in the world as a percentage of GDP. Along with Zambia, Cape Verde, France and Italy.

Our debt time bomb is ticking - and unless we act aggressively it will go off in our lifetimes. Destroying the American Dream for our children and grandchildren.

First, I will be a leading voice on the need to return to regular order. Where single issue bills are negotiated in public, refined in committee hearings, and focused on actually solving problems.

Second, I will lead in congress by taking on our largest, unfunded liabilities. Including addressing the revenue shortfalls bankrupting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. We can keep our commitments to our seniors and still reimagine these programs for future generations.

Finally, I will be willing to take the hard votes that need to be taken to protect America for future generations. I will reject the partisan games that maximize noise but minimize results. And I will focus on building working relationships with good people in both parties to advance bills that can actually pass.