Big Government is the Problem

America is at its best when we get big government out of the way and give people the freedom to innovate and succeed. It’s when the government invades people's lives, starts dictating everything we do, and bureaucrats decide they know better than us that we see America at its worst. That’s why Ronald Reagan used to say, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Liberals may think that they have good intentions, but they get it wrong so often. That’s exactly what we’ve seen with the absolutely massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota.

Most Americans would agree that ensuring our neighbors have a roof over their head, food on the table, and the healthcare they need isn’t a bad thing. The problem is that when you think government is the only solution and create massive programs with zero oversight, you fling the doors open for waste, fraud, and abuse. Now, we’re all paying the price.

$9 billion. That’s how much they think Somali scammers and others stole from welfare programs in Minnesota. To put that in perspective, that’s about how much we spend on primary and secondary education in Missouri, or double what we spend on fixing roads and bridges every year. It’s a massive amount of money, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s not just that these programs are rife with waste, fraud, and abuse; half the problem is that they don’t work well even when they work as intended. Far too many get trapped in these programs, getting handouts and never getting a hand up to succeed on their own.

We have to remember that government isn’t always the solution. We have a whole toolbox at our disposal, not just a hammer—and every problem isn’t a nail.

We shouldn’t be wasting billions we don’t have, trying to solve every challenge Americans face. We should focus on doing the things the government should do—and do well—and cutting the rest. That’s why I was proud to support appropriations bills this week to cut more than $2 billion in wasteful spending, while investing in things that matter, like stopping the scourge of fentanyl, which is destroying our communities and killing our children. These bills don’t solve all our challenges, but they’re a good step in the right direction. 

We’ve got to remember that the government didn’t make America great—hardworking Americans did. And, if we want to make America great again, we have to get big government out of the way and let Americans do what we do best—innovate and succeed.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves