The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.

               PRIORITIZING REINING IN OUR NATIONAL DEBT

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Moore
of Utah was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority
leader.)

                             General Leave

  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
  In 10 years, the deficit will be greater than every penny spent by
the Federal Government between 1789 and 2023. As we celebrate our
250th, this is the time to reflect on it and to focus on it. I am going
to share something tonight that is going on every single day,
specifically about trying to find the opportunity for deficit
reduction.
  I have another colleague who will be here momentarily as well, but
this is, obviously, an evergreen topic, something that we are
constantly focused on, something that members of the Budget Committee,
members of the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum, members of various groups that
focus more heavily on this than maybe some other issues.
  I am proud to count myself as part of that. I remember voting against
debt ceiling increases that didn't have some type of spending
reduction, even when my own side was proposing them, that didn't have
some type of spending reduction, a spending cap, or even a fiscal
commission. There are many solutions. It is a key aspect, and it is
something that we need to reflect on.
  In President Trump's first year, as we started the 119th Congress,
taking that first entire year, calendar year 2025, and comparing it to
calendar year 2024, a very unique thing happened: We had about $360
billion worth of deficit reduction.
  We ran an approximately $1.8 to $1.9 trillion deficit over the last
few years, and it has gone up considerably since COVID, during
President Biden's 4 years. The first year that Republicans had the
White House, House, and Senate, we had an extraordinary feat of $360
billion worth of deficit reduction.
  There were spending constraints. There was restructuring of how we
approached some of the student loan aspect of the budget, various
elements within the entirety of the appropriations process from
different agencies across the board that were pulling back and
withholding some of their planned spending. That, mixed with revenues
from tariffs, created a $360 billion deficit reduction. It doesn't get
reported much, doesn't get talked about.
  A portion of that tariff money after the SCOTUS ruling will be
refunded back, so of that 360, there will be money going back
ultimately to some of these companies that are involved in this. The
world of tariff and trade policy will continue to play out where you
will still get revenue to help us offset some of the deficits.
  I have been critical of some of the tariff policy. I have been
supportive of some of the tariff policy. I want two specific things
from tariffs. I want them to be consistent. If they are going to exist,
I want them to be consistent, something the companies, business folks,
and families can plan on, as well as be a positive contributor to
reducing deficits. I think there is an opportunity to do both of those
things, and we are seeing that play out.
  I am going to talk a little bit tonight about what is actually going
on with one of the most important aspects of the constant churn of us
reducing deficits, and that is what is taking place within some of our
administrative agencies on finding fraud. I am going to share some
anecdotes and some data. I look forward to doing that.
  Before I do that, I have a colleague here who is going to share a
brief message. I yield to the gentleman from the great State of North
Carolina (Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, our national debt has now surpassed $39
trillion, and every second that we fail to address it, that number
continues to grow, placing an even greater burden on future
generations.
  Families across western North Carolina understand just a simple
truth: You can't spend money that you don't have. They balance their
budgets, make difficult decisions, and expect their government to do
the same. Unfortunately, Washington has spent far too long doing just
the opposite.
  Decades of unchecked spending have left us with rising interest
payments, growing deficits, and fewer resources available for the
priorities that really matter.
  As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have worked to
ensure that we are good stewards of every taxpayer dollar. That means
supporting our national defense, strengthening border security, helping
communities recover from disasters like Hurricane Helene, and funding
the essential functions of government while still looking for every
opportunity to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.

                              {time}  1810

  Through the fiscal year 2027 appropriations process, House
Republicans continued efforts to be responsible stewards of taxpayer
dollars by identifying several savings, reducing unnecessary spending,
eliminating wasteful programs, and ensuring funding is focused on the
Federal Government's core responsibilities.
  We didn't create a $39 trillion debt overnight, and we are not going
to solve it overnight, but every responsible spending decision moves us
in the right direction.
  The American people deserve a government that lives within its means,
just as they do every day. It is time to restore fiscal responsibility,
reduce the deficit, and leave the next generation with a far stronger
financial future.
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North
Carolina for his message and focus on very important issues.
  Mr. Speaker, as I was mentioning, there is no question that we have a
major issue in front of us. Over the last 18 months, I have gone back
home and had a chance to share a lot of the specifics as to the gains
that we are making from the reductions. I want to just highlight some
of this.
  Our Federal debt continues to grow unsustainably, and major trust
fund programs face looming insolvency. To add insult to injury here,
there is rampant fraud across our country.
  If we want to get a handle on our national debt, then we also need to
address what I will call the invisible tax on the American people. The
data is staggering. The Government Accountability Office estimates that
the U.S. Government loses as much as $500 billion in Federal funds
every year to fraud. Half a trillion dollars is wasted because
fraudsters and scammers cheat our systems. That is $4,000 per American
household every year completely wasted. If there is one thing that
infuriates every American, it is the waste of their hard-earned
taxpayer dollars.
  I find that in my own life. My wife and I are budgeting. The part
that is frustrating is that it is not that we don't have to spend or
invest in areas, but we have to eliminate the waste. Families are
working hard to play by the rules, and fraudsters are stealing hundreds
of millions of dollars from childcare programs,
  To address this, the House Republicans recently passed the Stop Child
Care Scams Act, forcing accountability when States repeatedly fail to
fix fraud and serious program violations.
  Fake ghost students are draining $180 million in financial aid that
should be helping hardworking American students, so I am supporting ID
verification before tax dollars to support those programs go out the
door.
  Our reports have exposed fraud in States like Minnesota and
California. They have industrial-scale theft, and it has gone unabated
for years. Even States like Florida have had many issues in this
regard.
  One-third of all hospices in the entire country are in Los Angeles,
and CMS estimates that at least one-half of those are fraudulent. Eight
hundred of those hospices have now been suspended. The numbers I had
from just a couple of months ago were that they suspended licenses of
400. They have even had a chance to do more, but they