Give the House Freedom Caucus the credit it deserves

Hardline Republicans — specifically those members of the House Freedom Caucus — are being derided in the press, as if they've been playing some kind of a game. That is, threatening to not vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill, when, supposedly, everyone knew, in the end, they would cave and vote for it. But the derision badly misses the key point. The focus of these conservative Republicans is the disastrous fiscal state of affairs of our country. The real point is not whether or not these members were making empty threats. The real point is the frustration that the country's problems are so massive that it is impossible to deal with them in one piece of legislation. Even if the Freedom Caucus members got the additional spending cuts they wanted, the situation would still be disastrous — just a little less. This disastrous situation has been many years in the making. Years of looking the other way while the big spenders, those buying political power and influence with other people's money, have been driving our economy deeper and deeper into a government spending sinkhole. The Freedom Caucus members, like Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., do the nation a favor by screaming about this, even if it is clear that, in the end, they are patriots and would not let a critical piece of legislation fail. The discussion we should be having is whether we should care that federal spending now sucks up almost one-quarter of our nation's GDP and if it matters that we have ongoing multitrillion-dollar deficits and federal debt equal to our entire GDP? The party of the left, the Democrats, would have us believe that what is critical is welfare spending. Government money solves all problems. But can we have compassion for the poor and still do what's right for the country? Yes. What low-income Americans most need is opportunity, and opportunity is created by a growing economy. From 1950 to 1999, the U.S. economy grew 3.6% per year. From 2000 to 2024, the U.S. economy grew 2.2% per year. With the U.S. economy growing less than 3% per year, Medicaid spending has been growing 4.5% per year. One Big Beautiful Bill trims back some trillion dollars in spending in Medicaid over the next decade, slowing growth in Medicaid spending to 3% per year. This still outstrips recent economic growth. The bill inserts efficiencies requiring work for the able-bodied to qualify for Medicaid enrollment, and addresses other major inefficiencies in the program. But let's keep perspective. It's not cold-hearted to make an inefficient welfare program more efficient. It is cold-hearted to build a culture in which individuals are deprived from realizing their human potential. A slowly growing economy may mean the well-off may increase their wealth a little more slowly. But it means shrinking opportunity for those who are starting off with little. As America approaches its 250th birthday, it's time to focus on what our country is about. When Medicaid became law 50 years ago, federal spending as percent of our GDP was 15.9%. By end of 2024 it was 23.1%. Federal debt as percent of GDP in 1965 was 35.1%. By end of 2024, it was 97%. We've become a different country over the last 50 years. The anemic growth resulting from a burgeoning welfare state, and the massive growth in government spending and debt, do not bode well for those starting out with little and want to get ahead. The Democrats' answer is to push further left. The choice before our citizens and voters is increasingly stark: burying ourselves deeper in debt and dependence or recapturing freedom and personal responsibility. Let's thank these Freedom Caucus Republicans for refusing to sink in the Washington swamp and staying relentlessly focused on the principles that make America a great land of opportunity. Star Parker is the founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education.