Mark Doggett

You may have seen the recent reports detailing how much money the federal government spends and wastes on grants and projects of questionable merit. Like many Americans, I was stunned. The sheer volume of bureaucratic waste accumulated over the last 40 years is not just shocking. It borders on criminal negligence.

Most citizens assume there’s some level of inefficiency in government, but few realize the scale. Billions are sent overseas annually, often to regimes indifferent or even hostile to American values. Yet even that is dwarfed by domestic spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Their growth is outpacing our ability to sustain them.

To grasp the size of the federal bureaucracy, visit CMS.gov, the website for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Its organizational chart spans nearly 80 pages. After a few minutes of reading, it becomes clear: no one – not Congress, not agency heads, no one – can truly control a government that spends $6 million every minute.

The old quote often misattributed to Senator Everett Dirksen comes to mind: “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” Except this isn’t hypothetical.

And who resists reforms in government spending the most? Often, it’s unelected bureaucrats who benefit from the system. They sound alarms whenever spending cuts are proposed, even modest ones. Meanwhile, in the private sector, companies routinely reduce costs and streamline operations or go under. Government, however, has no such discipline. Programs rarely die; they only grow.

Our national debt has now ballooned to an eye-popping $34.6 trillion. We pay over $3 billion in interest every day. That’s not a policy issue. It’s a crisis.

We face three choices: (1) raise taxes, (2) cut spending, or (3) do both. But there’s a fourth, structural solution worth serious consideration: a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the U.S. Constitution. Such an amendment would require the federal government to spend no more than it takes in. Just like families and businesses must do.

Over 30 states have submitted calls for a constitutional convention under Article V to consider a BBA. However, they haven’t yet reached the required threshold of 34. The Convention of States Project also supports a broader Article V convention that includes a BBA and congressional term-limits among its goals.

A BBA wouldn’t solve every fiscal problem overnight, but it would impose long-overdue discipline on Congress. It would force lawmakers to set priorities, justify spending, and curb the runaway deficits that threaten our economy and national security.

We must hold our elected officials accountable. It’s easy to talk about fiscal responsibility, but much harder to practice it. Pay attention to who defends the bloated status quo and who pushes for real reform, including structural changes like a balanced budget requirement.

It’s not just “real” money. It’s your money.

Mark Doggett is a retired professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Kentucky University.