Gluesenkamp Perez Joins Bipartisan Effort to Establish Fiscal Commission, Fix Our National Debt

This week, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) joined a group of her bipartisan colleagues, including Reps. Bill Huizenga (MI-04) and Scott Peters (CA-50), to introduce the Fiscal Commission Act to address our national debt crisis by establishing an equally bipartisan, bicameral fiscal commission.

The Fiscal Commission Act instructs the commission to craft a proposal that fixes our fiscal situation in the medium and long term, and then requires Congress to vote on the proposal without amendment and without delay.

“Hardworking families in my community understand the bitter realities of carrying debt, and politicians in Washington, D.C. need to as well. Our nation’s deficit is worsening and we urgently need to balance our budget and get back on track,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “By establishing a bipartisan fiscal commission, Congress will have to finally face our uncomfortable fiscal situation – that way we can plan for our future and avoid passing on more debt to our children.”

“Our bipartisan Fiscal Commission Act is the most practical, immediate, and comprehensive action Congress can take right now to end our nation’s deepening fiscal crisis,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga. “If we do not address the unsustainable trajectory of our national debt, Americans who rely on Medicare and Social Security will face mandatory cuts to their benefits. We can protect and preserve these vital programs while improving the fiscal health of our nation by passing the Fiscal Commission Act and finally forcing Congress to act.”

“When I first introduced this legislation two years ago, we estimated that interest payments on the national debt would exceed defense and Medicaid spending in a decade. Today, we are already at that point,” said Rep. Scott Peters. “Our accelerating fiscal crisis threatens to bankrupt our children’s future. Congress has been too timid or too afraid to act but kicking the can down the road only makes solving this problem more costly and painful. ‘Regular order’ and the status quo have not worked for the last twenty years, we owe it to the American people to do something different.”

In February, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez introduced the bipartisan Cost Estimates Improvement Act to ensure Congress evaluates the impacts of interest on the national debt.

Earlier this year, the Congresswoman’s bipartisan FULL Act was signed into law to cut wasteful federal spending on unused government office space. Last May, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez was recognized as a 2024 Fiscal Hero for leading bipartisan efforts to take on the national debt, and she has repeatedly urged her colleagues to work toward fiscal stability.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Reps. William Timmons (SC-04), Ed Case (HI-01), Cory Mills (FL-07), Herb Conaway (NJ-03), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Blake Moore (UT-01), Adrian Smith (NE-03), Jared Golden (ME-02), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Adam Gray (CA-13), Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), David Schweikert (AZ-01), Mike Quigley (IL-05), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), David Rouzer (NC-07), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Erin Houchin (IN-09), Thomas Suozzi (NY-03), David Valadao (CA-22), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and Andy Barr (KY-06) are also original cosponsors of this legislation.