Op-Ed by Nikki Haley: Ending Reckless Spending Will Boost Our Economy and Stop Inflation

Des Moines Register by Nikki Haley

My husband, Michael, spent the holidays deployed overseas with the South Carolina Army National Guard. He's doing what countless Iowans and Americans have always done — keep our country safe from foreign enemies who want to destroy us.

But back at home, Democrats and Republicans have been destroying America's economy and finances for a long time. Reckless spending is stifling our economy even as our military is falling behind. And they're crippling us at the worst time. Communist China is the most dangerous enemy we've faced in at least 75 years, yet our politicians are spending America toward defeat. We need a president who stops this madness. We have to win this struggle and keep the peace.

This crisis is unprecedented. In the past 10 years, we've added more than $10 trillion to the national debt—pushing it well over $30 trillion. We'll hit $34 trillion in the coming weeks. We're now adding around $1.5 trillion a year. Every cent of wasteful spending drives inflation now and tax hikes later — hitting families with both.

We're on the verge of spending more on interest than national defense. America will be like a family that's maxed out its credit cards. We won't have money for emergencies. Yet the world we live in is getting more dangerous, not less, and America is getting less able to protect itself.

I speak hard truths, and here's a painful one. Republicans and Democrats are both to blame. Barack Obama and Joe Biden both loved to waste the American people's money, but so did George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Everyone talks about the good economy under Trump — but at what cost? He put us $8 trillion in debt in just four years. Our kids will never forgive us for that.

My highest priority as president will be to keep Americans safe. That's why I'll veto any bill that doesn't get us back to pre-pandemic spending levels and end hundreds of billions in corporate bailouts and special-interest handouts. I'll reform entitlements, the biggest drivers of our national debt, while protecting everyone who depends on Social Security and Medicare.

And we will send a message to Congress. They have only passed four budgets on time in 40 years. That is unacceptable. That is why we will institute a new system: No on time budget, no pay. Congress has one job. They owe it to the taxpayers to take their job seriously.