According to a press release from Senator Lummis’s office, the Sustainable Budget Act would create an 18-member bipartisan national commission to find and recommend ways to balance the federal budget over 10 years.

Senator Lummis explained the reasoning behind creating the bill. She said, “Congress has spent nearly $6 trillion in the last year. Much of this spending helped Americans through the pandemic, but I know that my constituents in Wyoming are very concerned that we have no plan to pay it back. We are on an unsustainable trajectory. We’ve become numb to the word ‘trillion.’ At the rate we are going, the United States could soon spend more money on interest on the national debt than it does on defense.”

“The commission created in the Sustainable Budget Act is modeled after the Simpson-Bowles commission, which in 2010 released a plan aimed at reducing federal deficits by nearly $4 trillion. At this point, we need a plan far more ambitious than Simpson-Bowles to get us out of the pit. I hope my colleagues will recognize the gravity of this situation and will join me in addressing our national debt,” said Lummis.

Senator Lummis introduced the bill with Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND).

Senator Lummis voted against the American Rescue Plan, approved by Congress in March. The coronavirus relief package is expected to bring $1.1 billion to the state of Wyoming. Governor Gordon has begun the planning process of how to allocate the funds. His three major areas of concern are allocating the funds, Health and Social Services, Education and Workforce, Economic Diversity and Economic Development.

In addition to the funds received by the state, millions of other dollars will be distributed to citizens via tax rebates, and to local governments and other entities directly from the federal government.

Buckrail – April 16, 2021

       Wyoming

Sen. Lummis introduces legislation addressing national debt