Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., center, is joined by, from left, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and Rep. Eric Burlison R-Mo., as the Republican Study Committee meets with reporters to announce their response to President Biden's 2025 budget, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In my weekly column last week, I outlined my strong opposition to President Biden’s $7.3-trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2025. As I noted, this proposal would hike taxes on our families, farmers, and businesses by $5.5 trillion, leave our country with a $1.8-trillion budget deficit for FY 2025, and balloon our national debt by trillions and trillions of dollars. It must be resoundingly rejected for the good of our fiscal health and financial stability.

Bloated budgets and reckless government spending cannot be the status quo in Congress. We need accountability, transparency, and action to get our fiscal house in order and deliver real reforms that fix our broken budget process, grow our economy, and keep more money in people’s pockets. That begins with drafting and implementing balanced budgets every fiscal year.

That’s why, in response to President Biden’s fiscally irresponsible budget, I introduced legislation – the Balanced Budget and Accounting Act – to require the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress, not a wish list of liberal priorities that plunge our nation deeper into debt. Our growing national debt poses the greatest threat to our economic security and emboldens China and our foreign adversaries to exploit our precarious fiscal foundation.

We cannot take these threats lightly. My bill ensures that we spend within our means and hold the Biden administration accountable because our country cannot afford any more budget gimmicks and reckless spending.

I also recently led a letter to President Biden himself opposing his proposed tax hikes on family farms and small businesses and urging him to abandon course. In the fine print, his budget includes a new tax on the transfer of agricultural and business assets, a devastating cap on like-kind exchanges, and a combined capital gains and dividend tax rate more than double that of China.

These economic policies will stifle economic growth in our rural communities, prevent young producers and entrepreneurs from continuing the family tradition, and sadly give family farms and small businesses no other choice but to close for good. Our nation’s farmers and small business owners are the backbone of our economy and our main streets. To strengthen our economy, we must keep taxes low for our farmers, producers, business owners, and innovators so that they can compete and succeed – not saddle them with more taxes, regulations, and red tape.

Last June, our national debt surpassed $32 trillion. Last September, our national debt eclipsed $33 trillion. This January, our national debt topped $34 trillion. Now, we’re rapidly approaching $35 trillion. We can’t kick the can down the road any longer. I will continue to do my part – as a strong, fiscal conservative – to reduce our national debt and restore fiscal sanity to Congress.

We are government together, and your thoughts and opinions matter to me. Please contact my office at Feenstra.House.Gov or by phone at 202-225-4426 if I can ever be of assistance. I am proud to represent our families, farmers, main street businesses, and rural communities in Congress.

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Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House.