Huizenga leads group focused on solutions for 'unsustainable' fiscal situation

Washington ― A new organization for lawmakers on Capitol Hill seeks to bring more attention to the government's "unsustainable" situation regarding to the federal deficit and debt, which is estimated at over $32 trillion.

Michigan U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Holland is the Republican lead on the effort, co-chairing the new Bipartisan Fiscal Forum with U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, a California Democrat. They said the group had started meeting informally in 2020 and has had over 70 current House members participate in activities.

"We've got to get serious about this, and here we just added $6 trillion in additional debt on top of what had been there, and this is not sustainable. It's acknowledged by virtually every all by everyone involved," Huizenga said.

"We are very serious about coming up with what are the manageable and doable yet impactful things that that will help us get on a different path?" he added.

"And frankly, part of this has been an acknowledgment of the problem, right? We've got some debt deniers in Congress and people outside of us, think tanks and others, that are kind of like, 'Yeah, don't worry about it.'"

Public education is also a goal of the group, which doesn't intend to just meet behind closed doors, Huizenga said.

"We understand we're not going to solve this all in one package of legislation, or even in one Congress. This has to be an ongoing conversation," Huizenga said. "Again, not just within our internal operations, but with but with the public. The public's got to have buy-in on this."

The group's principles will include the idea that debt costs are a threat to the country's future, that "durable" solutions will require bipartisan support, and that members need to focus on putting forward ideas instead of "tearing" one another down.

Huizenga noted that financing that debt is increasingly expensive because of rising interest rates in the last year: Net interest payments will total $10.6 trillion over the next decade. Peters agreed: "We'll be spending more interest than the national defense."

"We see this really growing problem, which is really reflected in the amount of the budget is being taken up by interest payments," Peters said. "The country has been borrowing money to pay for expenses, and this is gonna really crush out our ability to invest in our kids if we keep this up."

The group sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and Hakeem Jeffries of New York backing the creation of a bipartisan commission focused on long-term debt and deficit issues.

Peters, who grew up in Southfield, said they left it open as to whether the commission is made up of experts or has some lawmakers take part.

"Realistically, people from both sides of the aisle know that it's not just a spending, and it's not just it revenues as the problem — it's gonna be some combination of both. ... It's a delicate balance," he said.

"I don't think it's something that can be done by one party, and I don't think it's something that that comes naturally to Congress, because even talking about it at a microphone is very dangerous if it's not part of a complete package."

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget last week commended the group's launch.

“Getting our nation back on a fiscally sustainable path will require leaders from both parties to work together, and this is exactly what we have with the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum (BFF)," President Maya MacGuineas said in a statement.

"This is exactly the type of bipartisan leadership the moment requires. The initial ask of the group — to create a bipartisan Fiscal Commission — is exactly what we need in this moment.” 

mburke@detroitnews.com