Rep. Marlin Stutzman, a House fiscal hawk from Indiana, is set to introduce the Emergency Spending Accountability Act, a new bill aimed at imposing stricter rules on emergency spending to address concerns over the national debt. The legislation would require the federal government to pay down emergency spending balances by 20% annually for five years following an emergency, as approved by Congress, to ensure accountability. The bill is part of a growing bipartisan push to curb spending and address the $36 trillion national debt, which has grown significantly since the early 1990s.
Stutzman, who has been a vocal critic of the rising national debt, argues that emergency funds are often used for non-urgent expenses and that the lack of oversight has led to unchecked spending. He noted that when he first came to Washington in 2010, the national debt was $9 trillion, but it has since ballooned to more than $36 trillion. Since the early 1990s, over $12 trillion in emergency spending has been allocated, and he claims that much of this money is rarely repaid. The lawmaker emphasized the importance of offset cuts to account for emergency spending and better planning on how taxpayer dollars would be used.
The Emergency Spending Accountability Act would also require emergency spending to meet specific criteria outlined in the Balance Budget and Emergency Control Act of 1985. This includes ensuring that emergency funds are necessary, sudden, urgent, unforeseen, and not permanent. Stutzman believes that most companies and families set aside emergency funds for unexpected costs, but he claims Washington has failed to implement a similar system for federal spending. With seven Republican co-sponsors, the bill aims to provide a framework for emergency funding that ensures taxpayer dollars are used transparently and efficiently.