• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

DAVID MARCUS: Why nobody wants to cut the national debt despite everyone saying they should

by May 28, 2025
written by May 28, 2025
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

It was Mark Twain who quipped that the ‘great works’ are books that everyone wants to have read, but nobody wants to read. We could easily say the same thing about the U.S. national debt: It is something everyone wants to have cut, but nobody wants to cut.

As the House Republicans’ big beautiful bill moseys over to the Senate for potential passage, there is growing concern among many on the right that the spending cuts are insufficient, and that the bill puts the country on the road to much greater debt.

Senators Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., have all promised opposition to what they see as the ‘big bloated bill,’ and DOGE architect Elon Musk has expressed disappointment that the alarm he is raising about the debt, and his cost-cutting recommendations are being ignored.

As usual, this attempt to stand athwart massive spending while yelling, ‘Stop!’ is an uphill battle. Here are five reasons why deficit reduction has been the hardest of political nuts to crack, and how these reasons might be addressed.

1. The Deficit Is Too Abstract

To put it bluntly, very few American voters have a real working understanding of how the national debt actually works. Sometimes it feels like very few members of Congress do either, but it’s a big part of why debt cutting is not a political winner. 

Most people vote around issues they feel in their gut, like crime, high prices or immigration, not cold-calculated things like debt and monetary policy. While the Tea Party of 15 years ago may have been an exception, it was a movement of the managerial class, who understood debt, not a broad cross-section of voters.

2. Voters Like Pork

People like free stuff, even when it’s not really free. Even those who support cutting the deficit can get a bit testy when you threaten their slice of the pie, or the money flowing into their communities.

The New York Congressional delegation, led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY, just secured bigger federal deductions for state and local taxes for their constituents. Sure, it comes at the expense of better-run states, but as they say in Brooklyn, it is what it is.

3. Like Climate Change, There Is Deficit Fatigue

There are two issues in American politics that voters have been warned for 40 years must be addressed immediately or else all hell will break loose by next Tuesday. They are climate change and the deficit, and Tuesday never really seems to come. 

This is not to say that our staggering national debt hasn’t done great harm to our country; It absolutely has, far more than climate change. But that harm is not felt in an obvious and catastrophic way, so it does not light a fire under voters.

4. Superpower Status

There is a sense among many Americans, and not entirely without cause, that our country’s status as the world’s foremost superpower protects us from being hurt by our foreign creditors. We have nukes, after all, so what are they going to do? Robocall the White House during dinner?

This is, of course, a facile understanding, but it underscores that even though people are concerned about the debt, or say they are, they do not feel it as an existential threat.

5. Neither Party Will Commit To Deficit Cuts

The final reason why Americans have a hard time getting excited about efforts to cut the debt is that both parties always swear they will do it while they are out of power, and never do it when they are in power. They can make the reservation to cut the deficit, but they never show up.

This has led many Americans to just assume it’s never going to happen.

Make no mistake, these are significant headwinds that have stalled out almost every effort to cut the debt for decades. But it doesn’t mean they cannot be overcome. 

This week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in with serious criticism of some of his GOP compatriots.

‘We have a Republican Congress, and to this day, we’re in the end of May, past Memorial Day, and not one cent in DOGE cuts have been implemented by the Congress,’ he said.

DeSantis is an interesting voice in this debate. He went from winning a governor’s race in then-centrist Florida by the skin of his teeth to winning reelection by 20 points in a mere four years, and he did it not by saying things, but by doing things.

DeSantis took risky positions on things like COVID policy and the economy because he trusted that the results, even in the short-term, would be beneficial. He gambled that he would be rewarded for them, which he surely was.

The fiscal hawks need to talk less about doom and gloom and talk more about how lowering the debt can open doors to things like better credit, homeownership, financial security, and better yet, get a few of these cost-cutting measures past the goalie.

The American people will not be threatened into supporting cost-cutting measures to slash the debt, but they can be convinced. And nothing could be more convincing that this Congress enacting some serious and responsible cost-cutting actions right now.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Obama-nominated judge allows lawsuit targeting Musk’s role with DOGE to proceed, drops claims against Trump
next post
Dick’s Sporting Goods stands by full-year guidance — even with tariffs looming

related articles

Hawley blasts FDA approval of new abortion drug,...

October 2, 2025

Trump’s DOGE savings dwarfed by Medicare, Social Security...

October 2, 2025

FLASHBACK: James Comey urged officials to always prosecute...

October 2, 2025

The agency staff Vought might recommend cutting and...

October 2, 2025

Reagan-appointed judge, once rebuked by Supreme Court, continues...

October 2, 2025

‘Real consequences’: Food aid, flood insurance, FEMA funds...

October 2, 2025

Trump must triple severely outdated nuke arsenal to...

October 2, 2025

White House says federal layoffs could hit ‘thousands’...

October 2, 2025

Johnson shuts door on negotiating shutdown deal as...

October 2, 2025

Democrats refuse to budge over Obamacare fight as...

October 2, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • B. Riley stock plummets 50% amid significant Q2 losses: Here’s what happened

    August 12, 2024
  • SCOOP: Resolution punishing Al Green circulates House after Dem is thrown out of Trump speech

    March 5, 2025
  • Trump could sell Nancy Pelosi Federal Building ‘at fair market value’ under new GOP bill

    March 6, 2025
  • Tariffs or not, a Chinese baby products company is ramping up its U.S. expansion

    May 20, 2025
  • Fed Chair Powell says holding rates high for too long could jeopardize economic growth

    July 11, 2024

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 3

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 4

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (6,247)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (935)

Latest Posts

  • 3 years since bombing on Abbey Gate, Biden admin see consequences of ‘greatest foreign policy blunder’

    August 26, 2024
  • Senate GOP blows through 2nd hurdle of the night, teeing up Trump’s clawback bill for hourslong debate

    July 16, 2025
  • CrowdStrike moves to dismiss Delta Air Lines suit, citing contract terms

    December 18, 2024

Recent Posts

  • Oil and natural gas: Oil is once again in a support zone

    July 19, 2024
  • US investigating release of classified docs on Israel’s preparations for possible Iran strike

    October 23, 2024
  • Harris claims she ‘made clear’ her position on fracking in 2020 – transcript shows another story

    August 30, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • Microsoft, Google, Boeing join donors list for Trump’s record $170M inauguration fund

    January 10, 2025
  • ‘Who wouldn’t want it?’: Netanyahu open to receiving stealth bombers, bunker-busters from US

    July 8, 2025
  • Trump’s fresh White House portrait sparks interest amid controversy over National Portrait Gallery leadership

    June 3, 2025
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock