Staff Ed: Down to the wire on the federal budget

We’ve been hearing it for months: The federal government will shut down (temporarily, anyway) if legislators can’t settle on a budget and decide what cuts, if any, will be enacted. The clock is ticking, and the stakes are high.

If a compromise is not reached, the federal government will effectively shut down Saturday, marking the first time such an event has occurred since 1995 and 1996.

As is the case during every Washington spat, various polls have been taken recently to gauge Americans’ reactions to a potential federal shutdown. While responses have varied widely, most indicate that a majority of voters seem to be warm to the idea of a shutdown, especially if it means harsher spending cuts and a faster track toward a balanced budget.

If an agreement is not reached in time and the shutdown does indeed occur, both parties are going to be blamed. With popularity aside, leaders from both sides of the aisle aren’t holding back from seeking what they want out of the budget. This unwillingness to budge is only making matters worse.

The precedent this battle is exuding is that these last-minute debates are OK — coming down to the wire isn’t a big deal, if need be.

But our yawning federal deficit and debt load demand better than 11th hour patches. It’s unlikely that we’ll make any meaningful progress on tackling these problems if we don’t establish a clear set of budgetary priorities and stick to them.

After Congress passes some sort of ongoing budget, attention should immediately be turned to the next move.

Are we, as a country, willing to accept reductions of the entitlement programs whose costs we deplore but whose benefits we love so dearly? Are defense cuts an option as we engage in yet another overseas confrontation? Is harsher taxation completely off the table?

The cuts being debated are a drop in the bucket — what’s $100 billion when federal debt exceeds $14 trillion?

Let the legislators battle it out — for now. After the dust is settled, it’s time to finally get on a long-term path to tackling our deficit and, ultimately, national debt.

There are tough decisions to be made, but the temporary nature of Washington politics should not stand in the way of creating a forward-thinking vision to get our
nation’s finances in order.