HOLLIS, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Today, Ron DeSantis gave voters another glimpse into his ambitious plan to correct the course of the country. Florida’s governor slammed the federal government’s out of control spending and the D.C. elite who’ve spent decades in Congress funding “pork items.”
“I’m a big, big believer in our Constitution,” DeSantis added. “But there is always room for improvement and amendments have been necessary over time.”
According to DeSantis, three amendments to the U.S. Constitution are needed: a balanced budget amendment, a line-item veto for the president and term limits for members of Congress.
A BALANCED BUDGET
“I'd love to see a balanced budget amendment in the U.S. Constitution to force these guys to stop bankrupting us,” DeSantis said, noting that Florida’s constitution requires the state to balance its budget each year.
DeSantis said the Washington D.C. area – with seven out of the ten wealthiest counties in the country – has benefited from the government’s cycle of borrowing and spending.
“How does that happen?” DeSantis asked. “They’re not producing very much of anything except loads of debt and a lot of hot air and yet they have all this money pouring into those communities.”
The people that are politically connected benefit the most from the way the economy operates, according to DeSantis. “And if you’re not part of that class, then you end up paying the bill,” DeSantis said.
PRESIDENTIAL LINE-ITEM VETO
The ability to line out individual pork items in the federal budget is something DeSantis says the president should be able to do, rather than having to accept or reject the entire budget as presented by Congress.
After Florida’s recent legislative session, DeSantis vetoed more than half a billion in spending. But it was his veto of a pair of small, federal grants that had establishment Republicans talking.
The move triggered Florida’s withdrawal from a federal program that would have supplied two follow-up federal grants totalling $346 million. Was DeSantis sending a message that he’s refusing to accept more funding from the Biden administration?
TERMS LIMITS IN CONGRESS
DeSantis compared the federal deficit to Florida’s record surplus and blamed the federal problem on members of Congress, whose number one goal is not to curtail spending – but to preserve their seat.
If members of Congress had a limited amount of time in office, DeSantis said, it would change their incentive. The governor explained that in Florida, a person can only be the speaker of the House for two years or the president of the Senate for two years – prompting legislators to work hard to leave a legacy.
