Coming together to get out of debt

The House has passed a budget, will pass another one this year, and has presented multiple bipartisan plans to address the debt problem. The Senate, however, has not passed a budget in over 1,000 days and preemptively ends almost every piece of legislation before it gets the chance for debate or a vote. As a small business owner for more than three decades I can safely say that I have never seen such blatant and unapologetic counter-productivity than I have in the past year in Washington. 

Cooperation is a key factor in moving forward.  We got into debt in a bipartisan fashion over many years and it will take that same bipartisanship to bring us out of debt. Placing blame on one party will not help in the effort to rein in spending and enact real solutions. We must set aside partisan antics and be open to all ideas and concepts … and most importantly, discuss them like adults instead of five year olds looking to score political points. 

{mosads}Democrats and Republicans have contributed to this deficit mess and now both parties must help clean it up. It’s not enough to give our children and grandchildren some mops, a pat on the back and a say good luck. It’s our responsibility to fix this and our time to act is now. We can’t keep putting this off and blaming it on other circumstances, such as a lack of a Republican-controlled Senate, or in the opposite view, a Democrat-controlled House. The fact is that no side will likely ever have the perfect situation, and I didn’t come to Washington to sit around and wait.

As member of the Budget Committee, a co-author of Cut, Cap and Balance, and someone who still has hope for this country, I will remain steadfast in my goals. I came here to help bring some sanity back to our nation’s financial chaos and try and fix the broken systems in Washington that have contributed to our country’s economic decline. I hope all of my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, join me in this effort because our country’s future and well-being is certainly worth it.

Reid Ribble represents the 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin. He is a member of the House Budget Committee