From last year to 2032, Medicare doubles in spending. It goes from 1
trillion to 2 trillion. The Medicare Part A trust fund, if you are a
hospital, you take a 12-percent cut. That is the law.
  How many of you on Medicare are going to be able to see your doctor
in that hospital?
  Start to take a look at this. In 2025, people 0 to 18, we had 76
million people but 63 million over 65. In 9 years, we will have 70
million, so we will actually have fewer people under 18, and we will
have 76 million, 65 and up. I am one of them. I am 64--yes, I am 64
with a 4-year-old. Yes, I am really optimistic about the future. I am
just cranky about the math.
  All right. Let's continue on this. Workers per Social Security
beneficiary. We have got a problem. In 2011 we had 2.9. In 2025, last
year, we had 2.7. It continues to do this. It is a little hard to do as
a pay-as-you-go program.
  That is why every month when Social Security checks go out the door,
the Social Security administrator reaches over to their special
Treasury bills and say, Treasury, we are short because the payroll
taxes don't cover all the checks going out the door. Give us some of
our money back. That goes on and on for about another 6 years and 3
months, and then they don't have any more to cash in.
  Seniors per 100 working-age adults. 2011, we had 21.9 seniors per 100
people in the labor force. Last year, it is now 32. I am just trying to
pound this point in. We prefer it to be: Oh, it is horrible Democrat
policy. And they say: Oh, it is a tax policy. I have already shown you
the percentage of the economy that we take in in taxes has stayed
remarkably stable. The economy grows so you may have a lower tax rate
but, because the economy is bigger, you are still taking in the same
percentages of the GDP.
  U.S. population age 65 and up. 2011, we had 41 million. 2026--this is
a projection for this year--we have 63 million.
  Estimated share of outlays by group. I know there are a lot of bars
on this chart. The punch line here is actually very simple. In about
25, maybe 26 months, over half of the Federal Government spending will
go to those 65 and up.
  Now, why is this important? Now, remember, think of baby boomers as
large demographic quartiles. When I was a kid in the 1970s, for every
dollar for seniors, there was $7 spent for those functioning under 18.
That is almost reverse now. It is not really about a change in policy.
It is actually a change in demographic populations.
  This is really important. National defense in 9 years will take 12
percent of our spending. Seniors over 65 will take 52 percent in 9
budget years. It is just math. We know it. Hell, we knew people were
going to turn 65--we knew we had a baby boom 65 years ago--actually 70-
some years ago.
  Why are we so terrified to go in front of our voters and tell the
truth about math? Why are we afraid to tell them that often the crap
that they see on this thing is fake? It is meant for you to click, get
a nice dopamine hit, but it is not budget policy.
  I had a woman the other day at an event--beautiful event, wonderful
people--I think it was up in Prescott, talking about this. She was
absolutely positive, if we just cut this one benefit off, we could
balance the budget.
  We spent a couple moments. We walked on the internet using our
phones, and she saw it was like $9 billion was the total value of the
benefit over a year. It did cover about a day and a quarter of
borrowing--not spending, borrowing. She was devastated. It was as if I
said something horrible to her.
  Is that why politicians are terrified? Is that why we are terrified
to actually tell the truth to our brothers and sisters? Remember, you
have a country that is borrowing about $6 billion to $7 billion every
day.
  I started to talk about DOGE before. My economists, we helped them. I
am a believer we have to have a revolution in how we provide government
services: the adoption of technology, the elimination of excess
positions, those things. All that has passed so far is about $7 billion
in actual spending cuts that have made it through Congress, Senate, and
to the President's desk for his signature.
  Functionally, it barely covers one day of borrowing. How many of our
folks back home get a text message every other week saying: Are you
ready for your DOGE check? Just send us a couple thousand dollars, and
we will send you a DOGE check. Those text messages are fraud.
  The point of this is: It is just demographics. I am one of them. I am
at the tail end, but I am a baby boomer. It basically means, in 9
budget years, 21.4 percent of our population will be 65 and up. We will
have moved into our earned benefit years: Medicare, Social Security,
military or public service retirement, whatever it is. Then you take
other calculations that I am not going to geek out too much on: labor
force participation, the number of our population that is actually in
the labor force, and then we have a math problem.

                              {time}  1940

  What is the moral obligation of those of us who are elected to
actually know what--sorry, I can't curse on the floor--know what the
hell we are talking about, know the math, stop trying to sell shiny
objects and things that basically are enraging but don't take down the
republic?
  I will argue this debt, unless we find a way to start stabilizing it,
we are not going to make it another 250 years.
  Is this miracle of a self-governing republic worth saving? Then it is
worth telling our voters and the public the truth about our
demographics, the cost of financing it, and how much trouble we are
actually in.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I will go back and look at all of the angry
comments I am going to get because, once again, telling the truth means
you get the crap kicked out of you around here. I am perfectly happy to
do it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                    DEFENSE INNOVATION WITH UKRAINE

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Ms. Kaptur
of Ohio was recognized for 30 minutes.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to spotlight the urgent need
for deepened cooperation between the United States and Ukraine in
defense innovation. This follows yesterday's important announcement of
$18.4 million of investment through our Department of Defense in our
Northwest Ohio region.
  After over 10 years of Russia's brutal, unprovoked invasion of
Ukraine, Ukraine has given the world a master class in the future of
warfare. Ukraine has pioneered drone tactics and technology. It has
developed cost-effective air defense systems, all under the most
difficult of circumstances.
  Imagine Russia, a nation of 11 time zones. Ukraine has but one.
Russia has 3.5 times as many people as Ukraine, but Ukraine fights on
nobly.
  Ukraine's ecosystem of innovation is a model that the free world
can't afford to ignore.
  No matter where I travel as a member of our Defense Subcommittee and
meet with U.S. troops who are close or in theater, do you know what
they say to me? Congresswoman, please help us advance drone technology.
  I have heard many things from troops, but that has been one of their
most constant clarion calls to Members of Congress, and we intend to
deliver to them.
  That is why today, I introduced the bipartisan Strategic Unmanned
Systems Partnership Act--I underline bipartisan--along with
Representatives Fitzpatrick, Quigley, McCaul, Costa, and Bacon. These
are Members with experience, both military and civilian.
  This companion legislation to its Senate counterpart introduced by
Senators Rosen and Rounds would establish a landmark strategic defense
innovation working group with Ukraine and NATO. This working group
would accelerate joint production of innovative systems to defend our
nations at a time when liberty needs it most and it is being challenged
in many, many ways globally.
  Remember, Iran just killed American troops with the same weapons it
tested with Russia. Iran and Russia have a relationship, and then they
used the technologies against Ukraine. But it was Ukraine that came to
our defense with its innovation in the Middle East. It was Ukraine.
That is the mark of a true ally and friend under very difficult
circumstances.