The Exponent - Congressman Discusses National Debt Problems, Solutions

News Article

By Allie Hastings

Americans are roughly $17,578,340,000,000 in debt, and counting.

In an event sponsored by the College Republicans and the Collegiate Farm Bureau, US Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) spoke about issues associated with the constantly rising national debt in Rawls Hall Monday night.

The congressman greeted students as they entered the room before starting his presentation. Throughout the presentation and subsequent question-and-answer discussion, Rokita touched on a number of issues, but focused primarily on the national debt. He stressed the notion that the problem is non-partisan, despite his party preference.

"I don't see this as a partisan issue; both parties' presidents are the presidents running up the debts to different degrees," Rokita said, "(President Barack) Obama didn't create the debt, but it has certainly been exacerbated during his presidency."

Jacquelyn Hackman, a freshman in the College of Agriculture and member of both College Republicans and Collegiate Farm Bureau found the presentation enlightening.

"There was a lot of things that he talked about that I didn't know and didn't realize were such huge issues," Hackman said. "I knew some of the things were problems but he put into perspective by showing all those diagrams and things like that."

Using a variety of charts and diagrams, Rokita projected the debt, which is almost doubled from $9 trillion in 2008, is on to rising up to $200 trillion over the next 75 years. He cited heavy investments in Medicaid and other social government programs as part of the cause.

"The drivers of our debt today have no end in sight; they're not events, they're government programs that are driving up our debt," Rokita said.

He said Americans are only paying 32 percent of what they take out from the Medicare budget, thus adding to the national debt. Rokita proposed five solutions to decrease federal spending: Reforming Medicare, Medicaid, social security, the budget process and growing the economy. He believes cutting federal spending and government interference could help reduce the debt.

From amending certain requirements such as allowing states to define poverty lines and the eligibility age for social security, Rokita outlined a number of potential solutions. He pointed out, however, that these issues will impact not his generation, but younger generations. By informing college students, he hopes to inspire young adults to learn more about these issues to one day find a viable solution.

Rep. Randy Truitt (R-Ind.) also attended the presentation and empathized with students on the difficulty of understanding the more complex aspects of the politics of government spending.

"It's very overwhelming for most people and they look at (the national debt) and it's hard to put into context," Truitt said. "I think you have to do this grassroots effort, and it's going to take people like the people in this room to say enough is enough and actually do something (about it)."

Rokita echoed this sentiment, encouraging students and citizens to take on a more active role in government.

"If this is going to change, it has to come from the people, and the people have to demand it," Rokita said.

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