For a time, President Donald Trump said, he thought about vetoing the $1.3 trillion spending bill Congress laid on his desk a few weeks ago. Too much money was being spent unnecessarily and some priorities had been ignored, he explained.
In the end, Trump signed the bill. Now, he reportedly is consulting leading lawmakers about amending it later this year.
Well, why not?
Throughout the swamp — the vast, powerful federal bureaucracy — the thought of altering a spending law comes close to being sacrilegious. Be assured that if Congress actually does consider the president’s idea, there would be much talk in Washington of how the sky would fall if even a dime in appropriations is taken away.
No such catastrophe would occur. We all know from our personal finance struggles that having to make adjustments can be tough, but we do it because we have no choice. That thought has never occurred to anyone in Washington.
Members of Congress find themselves in a bit of a bind. Some worry that if they alter the spending plan, they could pay dearly at the ballot box this fall. No doubt most lawmakers would rather let the sleeping dog lie.
But this is one flea-ridden, mangy mutt, part of the reason our national debt continues to soar. Trump is right: Look at it again.
