The operating budget for Congress is about $5 billion per year. Yes, that is ‘billion’ with a ‘B.’ One would thing that for that much money the American public would get something in return. That does not seem to be the case. Just exactly what has Congress done for the American people lately? Not much. In fact most Americans, farmers and small business owners are being significantly harmed because Congress refuses to do the job they were elected to do, i.e., represent their constituents and be the voice of the people. Instead, they seem to be more interested in ceding powers that are constitutionally theirs to Trump in his continuing effort to dismantle democracy in this country.
Congress has the sole power to declare war and yet, Trump completely bypassed Congress when he launched the latest military strike against Venezuela and captured President Maduro and his wife. Trump says that the United States will ‘run’ Venezuela for the foreseeable future and takeover their oil reserves. Where is Congress in all of this – MIA!
Congress has the sole ‘power of the purse’ and yet Trump launched his trade war on virtually every country in the world, including a couple of uninhabited islands, without so much as a peep out of Congress. The tariffs are a tax on the American people and Trump unilaterally levied it while Congress sat on their hands.
The recent inaction by Congress on the ACA subsidies will result in skyrocketing insurance premiums for millions of Americans. Does this sound like Congress is representing and fighting for their constituents? Hell no. It seems like they are more interested in prostituting themselves to big corporations, wealthy oligarchs, and Trump, all of whom have no clue about the real struggles facing average everyday Americans.
Congress seems to think our money is better spent passing laws against transgender people who makeup a very small fraction of the general populace rather than trying to solve real problems for the far larger majority of the population who are struggling with high housing costs, putting food on the table, affording childcare and having to decide whether to pay the utility bill or buy the medicine they or their families need.
Trump brought in Elon Musk and his infamous team of hackers under the umbrella of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. Why hasn’t anyone raised the issue of why we are spending $5 billion of taxpayer money on a Congress that has been totally emasculated and is essentially irrelevant under this administration?
The founders of this country set up three branches of government to put in place a system of checks and balances. Since Congress has ceded all their constitutional powers such as declaring war, appropriating funding, and levying taxes on the American people, why the hell do we need them? Right now, Congress is a shining example of government waste, fraud, and abuse. We spend $5 billion and get absolutely nothing in return except for chaos, cruelty, and scandal coverups. Congress is a joke – but most Americans are not laughing.
