Duval Times

Sen. Rick Scott, in an op-ed published on July 11, 2024, has criticized Senate Democrats for their handling of the federal budget as the national debt approaches $35 trillion and inflation rises by 20 percent since January 2021. Scott expressed concern that with only five weeks left before the government runs out of funds, none of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed.

"We’ve seen this happen before. We cannot grant them victory in this failure by approving another inflation-bomb omnibus spending bill this year," Scott stated.

He highlighted that although markup hearings for some appropriations bills were scheduled this week, he believes Senate Democrats have failed to responsibly fund the government. "With just five weeks left until the government is out of money, not one of the 12 appropriations bills has been passed," he noted.

Scott described Washington's funding process as dysfunctional and accused Senate Democrats of delaying appropriations bills until a massive spending bill is hastily passed to avoid a shutdown. He argued that those opposing such swift passage are unfairly labeled as obstructionists.

"It’s time to force a change in Washington that brings back fiscal sanity and makes Congress chart a path for the federal government to live within its means," Scott asserted. He emphasized that fiscal responsibility is necessary to combat inflation and reduce national debt.

Scott criticized President Joe Biden's administration for increasing the national debt by nearly $8 trillion and proposing a $6.8 trillion budget. He pointed out that while the U.S. population has increased by only 2 percent since 2019, the budget has surged by 55 percent during the same period.

"This madness has to end," Scott declared, calling for Republicans to regain control of Washington and halt what he termed as Democrats' radical agenda. He proposed passing a continuing resolution without earmarks or liberal policy riders to fund the government until next Congress, along with prioritizing national security spending through the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act.

"It’s time to stand up and demand fiscal sanity," Scott urged, advocating for significant changes in Washington's functioning to prevent further debt accumulation and instability.

Sen. Rick Scott represents Florida in the U.S. Senate and is a former governor of Florida.

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