Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on innovative strategies through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to address the nation's mounting debt crisis on Newsmax on Saturday.
Rep. Carter, a member of the House Budget Committee, highlighted the urgency of addressing the nation's escalating debt and praised recent discussions with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as pivotal steps toward innovative solutions.
Speaking on "Saturday Agenda," Carter responded to questions about whether Republicans on the Budget Committee were actively working with Musk and Ramaswamy, key figures in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory commission. Carter confirmed their collaboration, describing a recent meeting as productive and energizing.
"The Republicans do want to get to a balanced budget. It's difficult. There's no question about that," Carter said. "We had a great, great meeting with Vivek and with Elon Musk this past week and discussed some things that we can do. And I can tell you the enthusiasm as we left that meeting was just as high as I've ever seen it."
Carter emphasized the critical state of the nation's finances, noting that the federal debt, currently $36 trillion, is projected to climb further. The congressman warned about the unsustainable pace of debt accumulation, estimated at $1 trillion every 100 days.
"We all get it. We understand. We cannot continue to add $1 trillion every 100 days to our debt. We can't sustain the $36 trillion debt, and it will be $37 trillion before you know it. That is not sustainable," he said.
Carter also addressed the growing burden of interest payments on the national debt, which he identified as the second-largest line item in the federal budget, trailing only mandatory spending programs.
"The second highest line item in our budget is the interest on our debt, not paying our debt down, but the interest on our debt," Carter said. He linked this issue to the broader economic challenge of inflation, referencing Musk's insights during their meeting.
"Elon made this perfectly clear during our meeting. He said, 'If you get your debt down, inflation will go down,' and it will," Carter added.
The discussions come at a pivotal moment, as Congress faces a Dec. 20 deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Because lawmakers cannot agree on a comprehensive funding plan for the new fiscal year, lawmakers are expected to pass yet another continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government until early 2025, possibly in March, NBC News reported.
Despite the gridlock, Carter expressed optimism about the collaboration with DOGE and its potential to offer creative and impactful approaches to fiscal management.
"We're excited to see what they [DOGE] can propose and what we can do," he said. "People are excited about this."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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