US Sen. Eric Schmitt: Federal spending levels 'not sustainable'

Missouri GOP U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt blames the U.S.'s recent credit downgrade on government spending rather than disputes over raising the debt limit.

Schmitt spoke to reporters about the issue Wednesday, Aug. 9 during a visit to Southeast Missouri where he planned to attend the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo and other stops in Cape Girardeau.

The Aug. 1 downgrading of the nation’s credit by Fitch, one of the so-called “Big Three” credit rating agencies was only the second such decrease in U.S. history. It was caused by what an unnamed Fitch director called “an erosion of governance” following this year’s debt ceiling crisis. A failure to raise the debt limit would have put the government in default of some of its financial obligations.

The 48-year-old freshman lawmaker, a native of north St. Louis County, said Republicans and Democrats simply fundamentally disagree about government expenditures.

“Until and unless we get serious about controlling spending, we’re going to continue to have the issues like a $35 trillion debt ceiling,” said Schmitt, adding he did not support raising the debt limit. “I’ve had three statewide races in six years and as I’ve gone around Missouri, I hear people saying they’re tired of business as usual. There are some big questions to answer about money in the next 30 to 60 days and it’s just not sustainable to continue this level of spending. It’s not how regular folks live their lives and Washington should take notes and learn from Missourians.”

Trump

Schmitt said his support for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential aspirations has not wavered, despite multiple indictments against the nation’s 45th president.

“I was an early endorser of President Trump. When you look back at his administration’s accomplishments, you saw wage growth up across every demographic and everything was less expensive because we had a robust energy supply. (Trump) was intent on securing our borders, and what’s happening on the U.S.-Mexico border now is unbelievable. We’re spending $120 billion in Ukraine and we can’t figure out how to police the southern border. We were on the right track and I want to get back there again, and it’s why I support (Trump),” he said, adding the criminal charges lodged against the former president are “political prosecutions”.

“The idea that we are arresting political opponents now should scare everybody,” he added.

Of note

• Passport backlog. “In the seven months I’ve been in office, we’ve had more than 500 individual requests come into our office from Missourians about delays in processing passports and that’s only counting the people who didn’t give up. There’s no excuse for why folks are hitting such a brick wall.”
• National Defense Authorization Act. “I serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and we were successful in getting a bipartisan legislative amendment to have a hiring freeze on DEI hires in the armed forces,” with the acronym standing for “diversity, equity and inclusion”. “Our military is a great meritocracy. People from any walk of life, any background, any color, any gender and any religion can achieve great things. I fully support that notion but what I oppose is this divisive DEI ideology, based in cultural Marxism, which separates people.”