America Is A Country In Crisis: Blackburn Op-Ed

Photo: U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC

Published August 19, 2021

By Senator Marsha Blackburn –

America is a country in crisis. Democrats have yet again forced their unwilling cash cow — the American people — to foot the bill for their radical tax-and-spend agenda. But hidden behind a facade of “green” energy and “free” benefits lie more dangerous intentions. Democrats are using these massive spending programs to build the gateway to socialism. If they succeed, they will transform America from a nation with a spending problem into a country whose people have lost control of their own government.  

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders’ 4.2 trillion-dollar budget framework, passed last Wednesday on a party line vote, is the latest salvo in the left’s assault on the American taxpayer.

If enacted, this budget will send our national debt soaring to over $40 trillion in the next ten years. Democrats plan on paying their tab with tax hikes and deficit financing, which will in turn lead to lost jobs and ballooning inflation. Altogether, the bloated package is a glorified bucket list of radical priorities: free pre-K! Free community college! Free public housing! Amnesty for illegal aliens!  

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This massive budget isn’t a one-off spending proposal. It’s part of the left’s effort to render the American people numb to limitless spending and government takeovers. Earlier this year, they pushed a partisan “covid relief” package; next came “infrastructure,” and the promise of an expanded and even more intrusive welfare state. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer moved heaven and earth to write these down payments on a socialist future into law because they wanted their unprecedented spending spree to seem like the status quo.  

Fortunately, this scam has failed. Tennesseans know that more government spending means more government control. If big brother pays the bills, big brother calls the shots. Democrats will try to explain away individual proposals, but the legislative text leaves little ambiguity about where their priorities lie.  

Tennesseans aren’t just worried about what the government is spending their money on; they’re also worried about the sheer size and scope of the slush fund. Most Americans would be happy to invest in roads, bridges, and broadband, for example, but we know that the price of the left’s wish list is far too high.   

Republican warnings of an impending socialist takeover aren’t exaggerated — they are an urgent call for help. Bernie’s budget will permanently tip the scales in favor of big government. It’s what the Democrats have been preparing for since Biden took office. I will continue to fight the implementation of this dangerous, socialist agenda, but we cannot win this battle alone. Democrat lawmakers must also listen to the American people and put an end to this reckless tax and spending spree.

About the Author:

Marsha Blackburn is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee. A businesswoman, she is a member of the Republican Party. Blackburn was a state senator from 1999 to 2003 and represented Tennessee’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House from 2003 to 2019. On November 6, 2018, she became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, defeating former Democratic Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. She took over as the state’s senior senator in January 2021, when outgoing Senator Lamar Alexander retired. Follow Blackburn on Twitter @MarshaBlackburn and Facebook.