By Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr., Esquire

In the grand sweep of American history, we have often been tempted to defer the difficult decisions of governance in favor of expediency or political convenience. Yet, there are moments when reality compels us to confront the unavoidable truths of our collective predicament. Such a moment is now upon us, and it concerns the solvency of our national budget. To speak plainly, the federal budget cannot be rendered solvent without the reformation of entitlement programs—Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Without such reform, we are hurtling toward what can only be described as a fiscal death spiral, an inexorable trajectory toward insolvency.

Consider, if you will, the data furnished by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). It projects that the national debt held by the public will surpass 106 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027. To place this in perspective, the historical average over the past half-century has been a far more modest 48 percent of GDP. This vertiginous ascent is fueled by perennial federal budget deficits, forecasted this year to exceed $1.9 trillion. Such deficits are the arithmetic byproduct of expenditures chronically outstripping revenues, a phenomenon exacerbated by the ravenous appetites of entitlement programs.

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—the so-called “sacred cows” of American politics—consume an ever-expanding share of our national resources. Left unchecked, they threaten to engulf the entire federal budget, crowding out other vital priorities and rendering the government incapable of responding to unforeseen crises. Indeed, the very premise of their sustainability has been rendered dubious by demographic realities: an aging population, declining birth rates, and a shrinking ratio of workers to beneficiaries.

Compounding this fiscal challenge is the reality that the United States has funded wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the bailouts during the Great Recession, and the programs to alleviate the effects of the COVID pandemic by borrowing money and not paying for them. The invoice for these endeavors is now due, and we cannot continue this pattern of fiscal irresponsibility without grave consequences.

Let us dispense with the fallacy that the national debt is a mere abstraction, a bogeyman conjured by fiscal scolds. The consequences of our mounting indebtedness are as tangible as they are dire. High and rising debt suppresses economic growth by diverting capital from productive investment to service interest payments. It erodes our standard of living, renders us less competitive on the global stage, and constrains our capacity for fiscal maneuvering in times of national emergency. Worst of all, it imposes a staggering burden on future generations, who will inherit the debts of our profligacy without enjoying the benefits of our largesse.

As Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, aptly observes, “Borrowing is not free; it comes with costs that will fall hardest on the next generation. Without changes, we risk leaving our children a legacy of debt, slower growth, and reduced opportunities.” Her warning underscores the urgency of addressing our fiscal challenges before they spiral further out of control.

Yet, these outcomes are not inevitable. As the CBO notes, policymakers retain the capacity to chart a more sustainable fiscal course. This requires both a reduction in the rate of spending growth and an enhancement of revenue streams. Among the options are measures to curb overpayments in Medicare Advantage, equalize Medicare payments for similar treatments, and raise the retirement ages for Social Security and Medicare eligibility. These are not draconian measures; they are prudent adjustments to programs whose underlying structures are misaligned with contemporary demographic and economic realities.

Moreover, we must not shy away from politically unpalatable but necessary revenue measures, such imposing a FICA payroll surtax on high incomes, and enhancing the efficiency of tax collection through better funding of the Internal Revenue Service. Such measures can be calibrated to preserve economic competitiveness while contributing meaningfully to deficit reduction.

The opponents of entitlement reform argue that such programs are the bedrock of social stability and economic security. This is true. But to preserve these programs for future generations, they must be reformed to reflect the fiscal and demographic realities of our time. Failure to act is not a neutral option; it is a decision to allow these programs to collapse under their own weight, taking the federal budget—and perhaps the American economy—down with them.

In closing, let us invoke a principle articulated by the late Edmund Burke, who observed that society is a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are yet to be born. If we are to honor this intergenerational compact, we must act decisively to place our fiscal house in order. Reforming entitlement programs is not merely a matter of arithmetic; it is a moral imperative. Let us rise to the occasion.

The author is an attorney who resides on the Eastern Shore and is co-host of the Gonzales/Mitchell Show podcast.