Make Congress Get-By Again!

Now, I was raised to believe that if you spend more than you bring in, you better start cutting back. That’s just common sense—but somehow, Congress missed that lesson. While Tennesseans are watching every penny at the grocery store, stretching gas money, and doing everything they can to keep their small businesses open, Congress is sitting on a $6.4 billion budget that’s grown 52% since 2011. If folks here can stretch a dollar, surely Washington can, too. It’s time for y’all to do a little budget trimming of your own. And if you need some ideas, don’t worry, I’ve got plenty: 💸Turn the thermostat up in the summer, down in the winter. If we can sit under a ceiling fan in July and throw on an extra sweater in January, y’all can too. 💸Shut the lights off after hours. No reason to keep the place lit up like Dollywood at Christmas when nobody’s home. 💸No more first-class flights—or business class either. If the rest of us are crammed in the back of a Spirit Airlines flight, knees to our chest, hoping our seat doesn’t fall apart, Congress can manage. Hope y’all like paying for your carry-ons. 💸Cut the fancy perks. No more taxpayer-funded gym memberships, haircuts, or catered meals—pack a lunch like the rest of us. Maybe even try a gas station hot dog and see what the rest of America’s been working with. 💸Make Congress pay for parking. If working folks have to feed the meter, so do y’all. And while we’re talking about budgets—did you know the minimum wage in Tennessee is still just $7.25 an hour? Meanwhile, Congress pulls in nearly 200k and that’s before all the perks. Now, I don’t know about you, but if the folks in charge of balancing the budget were making minimum wage, I bet they’d figure out how to tighten things up real quick. Elon Musk is working to cut 30% of the federal budget, and it sure would be nice to see Congress show a little support by starting with its own. Tennesseans believe in leading by example, and I know you want to do right by the folks who sent you there. I appreciate your time, and I hope y’all take this to heart.