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U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez recently wrote that she “actually cares” about the national debt, pointing to her proposed balanced-budget amendment, the FULL Act and her vote against a Trump-backed spending bill.
Those actions deserve acknowledgment, but so does the rest of her record.
Since taking office, Gluesenkamp Perez has supported major federal spending packages, including both fiscal year 2024 government-funding measures; the $95 billion foreign-aid package for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific; the American Relief Act; and additional appropriations legislation.
In January, she also voted for fiscal year 2026 Department of Homeland Security funding.
Voting against one expensive bill does not erase votes for many others.
The FULL Act was a reasonable effort to reduce waste associated with unused federal office space. But federal leases cost about $6 billion annually, while the federal government spends trillions. It is a worthwhile reform, but nowhere near the scale required to address a $40 trillion debt.
Likewise, proposing a balanced-budget amendment for the future does not relieve members of Congress of responsibility for the spending bills they support today.
Gluesenkamp Perez is right that Republicans, including President Trump and his supporters, have contributed enormously to the debt. But Republican spending does not excuse Democratic spending. Bipartisan spending is still spending, and pointing at the other party does not balance the budget.
If members of Congress truly care about the national debt, they must do more than introduce resolutions and highlight the occasional “no” vote. They must consistently oppose the spending that continues creating it.
James Holcomb
Olympia
