1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

The federal deficit just hit nearly $2 trillion, and Congress needs to stop kicking this down the road. With the debt ceiling vote coming next year, you have a real opportunity to demand meaningful fiscal reform as the price of any increase. Use it. The numbers are damning. Net interest payments on the public debt topped $1 trillion for the first time — more than we spend on anything except Social Security. The national debt hit a record $40 trillion in August, and the "big, beautiful bill" is projected to add trillions more over the next decade. Corporate tax revenue dropped 16% to $382 billion because of the law's expanded deductions, while bond market turmoil is already pushing mortgage rates higher for ordinary families. This is not an abstract fiscal problem — it is hitting people's wallets right now. Neither party has been willing to make hard choices, and that has to change. I expect you to go into the debt ceiling negotiations with a serious plan to reduce the deficit, not another round of promises that never materialize.