It’s obvious to pretty much any American that the nation’s debt is simply out of control. At $36 trillion and rising, something needs to be done to stop the debt crisis the United States is facing. There’s been plans in the past by lawmakers, but they seem to never come to fruition.

Republicans and Democrats alike have promised during their campaigns to solve the debt crisis, but once they get into office they claim that it simply can’t be done until a later time or at all. This not only causes mistrust between constituents and politicians, but it also does nothing to bring down the $36 trillion of debt the country has.

With President Donald Trump back in office, many hope he can be the one to spearhead the effort to bring down America’s debt. After all, he has been a big proponent of reducing wasteful government spending. One advocacy group, Concord Action, is working to put pressure on Trump and Congress to finally do something about the out of control debt in the U.S.

New Advocacy Group Pushes for Fiscal Responsibility Ahead of Trump’s Congressional Address

As President Donald Trump prepares to address Congress on Tuesday night, a fresh initiative has emerged to confront America’s staggering $36 trillion debt crisis. The Concord Coalition recently unveiled Concord Action, a new advocacy group aimed at pressing lawmakers to prioritize fiscal responsibility. Launched just in time for Trump’s speech, the group seeks to spark a renewed focus on tackling the nation’s financial challenges.

Leading the charge is former Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, D-GA, who now serves as Concord Action’s executive director and president. In an exclusive conversation with Fox News Digital, Bourdeaux called on Trump to demonstrate genuine commitment to addressing the debt crisis. “I’d like to hear that he’s really serious about putting everything on the table and putting together an effort that reaches out,” she said. “He really needs to reach across the aisle. We know that to get the budget done, just on an annual basis, it does require Democrats to be involved. This needs to be a bipartisan effort.”

Bourdeaux brings a unique perspective to the role. During the Great Recession, she collaborated with Republicans to balance Georgia’s state budget, an experience that informs her belief in the power of bipartisan cooperation. She emphasized that Trump must spearhead a meticulous, “line by line” review of national spending to make meaningful progress. “It needs to be a thoughtful effort,” she noted. “It does need to tackle the waste, fraud and abuse, but anyone who is serious about balancing the budget knows that is not enough. We really have to go line by line through all the different programs that we do, including the mandatory spending, and look at places where we can find savings and efficiencies. And we also have to put the tax side on the table as well.”

The economy loomed large for voters in 2024, with inflation topping the list of concerns for four out of every 20 Americans, according to the 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis. Public sentiment reflects frustration, with nearly two-thirds of voters describing the economy as either “not good” (40%) or “downright poor” (24%). Against this backdrop, Bourdeaux remains optimistic, drawing on history for inspiration. “I know people approach this with a sense of despair, but it can be done. Back in the 1990s, I was actually a congressional staffer at the time. We did balance the budget. We did get together. It was done on a bipartisan basis. You know, Clinton was the president, but the House was Republican, at times the Senate was Republican. They got together, and they got it done. We really need to replicate that process again,” she said.

Reflecting on the 1990s, Bourdeaux pointed to a time when bipartisan efforts under President Bill Clinton turned a $4 trillion national debt into budget surpluses, thanks to measures like the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. She believes that if it happened once, it can happen again — but it starts with a clear plan. “Right now, even getting to balance. Nobody has a plan. Nobody has anything serious on the table right now. We need to set up what that plan is going to be and then start executing it,” she urged, hoping Trump will outline such a strategy in his upcoming address.

The White House, meanwhile, signaled its alignment with fiscal discipline. Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital, “Since day one, President Trump has prioritized government efficiency, proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and the goal of signing a long overdue balanced budget. The Trump Administration is committed to ending the mindless spending of foreign wars, woke ideology, and unnecessary government programs that don’t serve the American people.”

Central to Trump’s approach is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. Established via an executive order on Inauguration Day, DOGE aims “to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” Agencies have been directed to cooperate with DOGE’s investigations, and the department’s website already boasts $105 billion in estimated savings from canceled contracts, staff cuts, and eliminated improper payments. While Republicans have cheered DOGE’s bold moves, some Democrats have criticized its aggressive cost-cutting tactics.

DOGE’s influence is rippling beyond Washington. From San Francisco mandating office returns for city employees to the Environmental Protection Agency identifying $20 billion in its own wasteful spending, officials at all levels are taking notice. On Capitol Hill, bipartisan momentum is building. Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-NE, and Jacky Rosen, D-NV, recently introduced a bill requiring annual presidential budgets to track improper payments, while Rep. Dan Meuser, R-PA, proposed the Payment Integrity Information Reform Act to curb federal overpayments.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-IA, launched the Senate DOGE Caucus in November 2024 “to identify and eliminate government waste,” working hand-in-hand with Musk’s team. The House followed suit with its Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus to bolster DOGE’s mission through legislation.

If President Trump and Congress can work together to bring about policy that can actually reduce the amount of debt the United States has, then he and his administration will certainly have a feather in their caps that other presidential administrations simply do not have. This is something the American people have been wanting for decades now, and its past time for it to happen.

Are you confident in Trump’s ability to help bring down the national debt? Why or why not? Let us know down in the comments!