OP-ED by Representative Paul Gosar (AZ-09)
With the House and Senate now aligned on a budget reconciliation framework, Congress will soon return to Washington, DC to begin the process of identifying at least $1.5 trillion in wasteful federal spending necessary to deliver permanent tax relief for all Americans and enacting President Trump’s America First agenda.
Congress need not look too far to find these savings. A good place to start would be by reviewing and terminating many of the 40 active national emergency declarations dating as far back as the Carter Administration.
These emergency declarations, as established by the National Emergencies Act, were made by presidents during times of crises, such as hurricanes, wars or pandemics. These declarations provide presidents the flexibility to respond quickly and effectively to events that require immediate attention, such as the ability to direct funds from congressionally approved programs to address the emergency.
Here’s what you need to know: national emergencies are not meant to last forever, and they end up costing taxpayers trillions of dollars to implement. According to DOGE, the forty-some active emergency declarations have cost taxpayers more than $14 trillion to date and still counting.
As Congress looks to find savings to pass President Trump’s big, beautiful budget reconciliation bill, now is the perfect time for Congress to review each of these emergency declarations and determine if they are still warranted. Why? For starters, it’s the law. Section 202 of the National Emergencies Act mandates that Congress must debate and vote to terminate a national emergency no later than six months after being declared, and within every six months after that. Yet, Congress seldom has or does.
If the emergency declarations are no longer warranted, Congress should vote to terminate them. In fact, I am the only member of Congress ever to have legislation terminating a national emergency signed into law. Two years ago this month, Joe Biden signed my bill terminating the COVID-19 national emergency declaration, halting trillions of spending no longer warranted.
Ever wonder how much taxpayer money was spent on the COVID-19 pandemic? $6.4 trillion. Trillion with a T. Here’s the thing: Congress and the American people have no idea how much of that $6.4 trillion was actually spent. Because, despite the law requiring that Joe Biden must report national emergency spending to Congress 90 days after the termination of the emergency declaration, he never did. Two years have passed since my bill ending the COVID-19 national emergency was signed into law by Joe Biden, yet Congress has no clue where all the money was spent or even if it was spent.
If DOGE has taught us anything, I have a hunch that billions of COVID-19 dollars are unspent. It’s time for Congress to demand all the receipts of unspent money set aside for the COVID-19 national emergency and the other 40 active national emergencies. Then Congress needs to claw back those unspent dollars and put them towards paying for President Trump’s budget resolution.
Gather the receipts, claw back the unspent money and I bet Congress can easily find the savings and perhaps make deeper reductions in wasteful spending.
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