Republicans have no plans to cut Medicare or Social Security, said freshman Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), but cuts are inevitable if spending is not controlled. He pointed out that both programs are expected to be insolvent before 2033 if nothing is done.
“Nobody is talking about cutting Medicare and Social Security. The cuts are coming if we do nothing,” Brecheen said.
Brecheen held four town hall meetings on Feb. 13 in the Eastern Oklahoma towns of Durant, Muskogee, Tahlequah, and McAlester. During the meetings, he fielded questions about the federal budget, illegal immigration, and Chinese spy balloons. Most of the issues could be addressed if Congress did what’s best for the country rather than what ensures reelection, he said.
“It’s easy to keep spending other people’s money.”
According to Brecheen, President Joe Biden is using Social Security and Medicare recipients are “human shields” to avoid the real problem, which is discretionary spending. He said reducing discretionary spending is the only way to get the country’s debt under control.
“When we get to insolvency, are we going to ... are we just going to print money?” Brecheen asked.
Part of the solution would be a flat tax, he said.
Brecheen pointed out that Dr. Ben Carson invoked the Biblical concept of a tithe when promoting the flat tax during his presidential bid. This plan would do away with 77,000 pages of IRS regulations, bring in more revenue by eliminating “corporate welfare,” and ensure that all Americans contributed something “in proportion with their increase,” he said.
America is going over a fiscal cliff, Brecheen told approximately 200 people that attended the four Town Hall meetings. But while the picture may be bleak, the lawmaker said he is hopeful.
Brecheen serves on the House Budget and Homeland Security committees. His experience on the Budget committee had shown him how dire America’s financial condition truly is, he said, and the $31 trillion national debt is only part of the problem. When unfunded mandates and other debt are figured in, the debt balloons to $120 trillion, he said.
To illustrate the magnitude of that debt, Brecheen asked participants to imagine they were placing a dollar on a counter every second to pay the debt. He said that if that could be done nonstop, it would take more than 3 million years to pay the debt.
“We are a slave to our debt. The math does not lie. We cannot continue to spend money we do not have,” he said.
At each meeting, he repeated that Congress must be held accountable for its spending, adding that it is not a question of party.
This is not a Republican or Democrat issue, said Brecheen. “Both parties have learned to play the game.”
He told the gathering in Durant that he ran to reform Congress. He wants reform to hold the Federal Government to the enumerated powers outlined in the U.S. Constitution. He reiterated that position in Muskogee, saying it’s time to stop making decisions by executive order.
“I’m committed to the concept that a declaration of war must come from the Congress,” Brecheen said.
The reform he is pushing includes giving local officials more responsibility and authority. He pointed out that many communities in Oklahoma deal with antiquated infrastructure. There is a simple reason some towns have water, sewer, and storm drainage systems that are 100 years old or older, he said.
Brecheen said that a century ago, more than 60 percent of the taxing and spending that occurred was done locally. By the mid-1990s, that had flipped, with more than 80 percent of taxing and spending being done by the federal government.
“Back then, you had the money to spend,” he said.
One step toward solving this issue would be to comply with the 10th Amendment, which gives states the authority to make decisions that impact their citizens. He told the Muskogee gathering that states should be able to refuse to follow executive orders and rules set by government agencies. He said that all the regulations instituted by the government since the 1980s have a .8 percent drag on the economy.
“Every one of these rules comes with a cost.”
On the question of Chinese spy balloons, Brecheen said he had to be careful with the information he shared. He said Congress had been briefed on the issue, and there are still many legitimate questions about precisely what the four objects shot down were doing. However, when it comes to questions about what may have happened in previous administrations, he urged people to be patient.
Voted ‘Prayerfully’
One woman in Tahlequah, who would not give her name, took Brecheen to task for his part in holding up the vote on Speaker Kevin McCarthy. She said Brecheen was the only member of the Oklahoma delegation who refused to vote for the eventual winner until concessions were made. This dragged the process out over 17 votes. She asked if Brecheen thought he knew better than the other Congressmen.“Are all our other Oklahoma congressmen idiots?” she asked.
Brecheen said he could only answer for himself. He pointed out that there were many issues discussed during that vote. He said he voted “prayerfully” and would not “throw the other Congressmen under the bus.”
“It was about principle for me,” Brecheen said. “I was willing to put what you think of me aside and do what I felt was the right thing for our country.”
Importing New Voters?
Democrats are endangering national security to import new voters, Brecheen said. They are turning a blind eye to illegal drugs, terrorists, and human trafficking across the Southern Border to build a constituency.“This is a national security issue,” he said.
Jim Haley of Muskogee strongly disagreed with Brecheen. He said the border issues are rooted in Republican intransigence. He said immigration law needs to be reformed, but Republicans refuse to offer meaningful legislation. Haley said most illegal immigrants want a better life.
“It’s not about votes; it’s about freedom,” Haley said.
Thomas Faulk, also of Muskogee, agreed with Brecheen that the border needed to be secured. But, he agreed with Haley that most illegal immigrants are an asset to the country and should be allowed to stay.
“They just want to be legal,” Faulk said.
Brecheen said he was willing to discuss the matter with both men. But he held fast to this position that the border must be secured.
“We are a country of laws, and we have to respect the law,” he said.
The Rev. Bill Ledbetter pastors a church in Durant, and supports Brecheen when it comes to holding federal officials to the Constitution.
“We have to return to the foundations that made us great,” Ledbetter said.
Brecheen took the Oklahoma Congressional District 2 seat vacated by Markwayne Mullin, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in the November 2022 general election.
