Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts just gave the country a rare look at how Washington really operates when it comes to the national debt.
Through an interview on CNN News Central, the Democrat from the Bay State laid out a track record of spending excess that both parties have fueled for years.
His comments came as the debt clock continues its relentless climb, leaving ordinary Americans to foot the bill through higher costs and a weaker dollar.
Lynch did not mince words about the failure to confront the problem.
“Well, not only don’t we tackle it, we actually exacerbate the problem, Kate. So, when — back in 2008, if you look at our national debt, we had a spike then, we bailed out the financial services industry, we bailed out the banks. That was a big spike. President Trump’s first term, we added $1.7 trillion to the national debt because of his tax cut,” he stated.
“I voted against that as well. And then, recently, his one big, beautiful bill also spikes the — adds at least another trillion dollars to the national debt. So, — and it’s not just Republicans. Democrats have done it too, at times. But we haven’t had –.”
That admission alone should stop the usual partisan finger-pointing cold. The 2008 bank bailouts poured massive sums into Wall Street while Main Street paid the price in lost jobs and homes. Those decisions locked in a pattern of elite protection that has never truly ended.
CNN co-host Kate Bolduan pressed the point of intellectual honesty:
“Yeah, I was going to say, to be intellectually honest, we do need to add that Democrats — Democratic presidents have — and congresses have added to the national debt, just to — as well.”
“Absolutely, especially during difficult times. During COVID, we had — services were extended that also added to the national debt. No doubt about that. But we just don’t seem to have the willpower to do those necessary cuts,” Lynch said in agreement.
There it is. The open acknowledgment that emergency spending during the pandemic ballooned the debt, and that Congress still lacks the backbone to reverse course.
Trillions went out the door for programs that often failed to deliver results for working families while swelling the ranks of federal contractors and NGOs.
The congressman did not stop at past failures. He turned to current decisions that keep the red ink flowing.
“And then we make choices, like this war in Iran. That’s ramping up the national debt each and every day. Some would declare that it’s unnecessary, that it was a war of choice. So, that decision, which did not involve Congress, is costing us a barrel of money as well,” Lynch stated.
Lynch’s comments reveal a deeper truth: the political class knows the problem, talks about the problem, and then refuses to solve the problem.
