WRITE OF CENTER
After signing the U.S. Constitution in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was reportedly asked, “Well doctor, what do we have, a republic or a monarchy,” to which Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Our Founding Fathers’ view was that it would take a united effort to sustain a republic, requiring checks and balances as well as a responsibility to preserve our freedoms for future generations.
Franklin reportedly also shared that “when people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”
This wisdom begs the question, where do things stand as we approach 2026?
We have all smelled the stench of mismanagement emanating from Minnesota, where federal prosecutors estimate that over $9 billion in Medicaid fraud has been identified since 2018.
Minnesota stands out for its extreme incompetence, but federal program waste and fraud include both blue and red states. The National Healthcare Anti-Fraud Association estimates that fraud exceeds $100 billion annually in Medicare and Medicaid.
Omar Perez Aybar, the special agent in charge of Florida’s Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, claims that this figure is probably a conservative number.
“When we think about all lines of business in Medicare and Medicaid, that’s probably a drop in the bucket,” Aybar said.
This should both frighten and outrage all Americans. We’re not talking here about taking someone’s health coverage away from them, but rather managing these programs wisely and efficiently so that those truly in need have the required resources available to them.
Waste, abuse and fraud extend to many more federal programs. In 2021. the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified more than $2 billion in improper payments to SNAP, or approximately 8% of total program costs. This estimate was made prior to the fiasco in Minnesota.
Can you imagine if Gov. Tim Walz had actually been elected vice president? Perhaps Kamala Harris would have appointed Walz “czar of Medicaid oversight,” producing results as ineffective as Harris’ role as “border czar” during the open borders Biden administration.
Other entitlement programs face financial shortfalls affecting our nation’s future. According to the Social Security Administration, the program’s Trust Fund will be depleted by 2035, followed in 2036 by the evaporation of Medicare’s Trust Fund.
Yet no one in Washington seems to be doing anything about this financial cliff that is a decade away. The longer we wait to solve the actuarial shortfalls in Social Security and Medicare, the worse the problems will become.
But waste is not limited to federal entitlement programs. Despite having a budget of $900 billion annually, the Pentagon has never passed a full audit. In its most recent audit attempt, the Department of Defense failed for the eighth consecutive year, unable to account for a significant amount of its assets.
While most members of Congress support a strong military (except for the far-left crazies who dislike our military), does anyone believe that within a $900 billion budget there isn’t room to find efficiencies and economies?
A strong focus on providing efficient government should produce hundreds of billions of dollars a year in savings. As interest rates decline the cost of paying interest on the national debt should be reduced by at least $100 billion per year.
Recently the federal government was shut down for 43 days due to the demands of Democrats to keep the money spigot going for subsidies to the completely misnamed Affordable Care Act.
What is needed is reform to incentivize efficiencies and increase choice, not continuing to bail out a system that is on the verge of collapse.
It is well past time that Congress spends the vast majority of its time on improving the fiscal management of our nation. Washington, D.C., needs to not only turn over a new leaf, but an entire forest.
Congress should follow the lead of well-run states like Texas: Pass the budget on time before the fiscal year begins, have a reasonable regulatory and tax structure and begin working on a Constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget.
As we enter 2026, we can only hope and pray that Congress begins adhering to the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin and our Founding Fathers and make responsible efforts to keep our republic.
Rich Sena is a Boerne resident and member of the Republican Party
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