FreedomWorks CEO: A ‘Hillary Clinton America’ Would Mean More Debt, More Regulation

This is what America looks like under President Hillary Clinton.

According to a recent analysis by the American Action Forum, Hillary Clinton will raise taxes to the tune of $1.3 trillion over the next 10 years. She is proposing $2.8 trillion in new or increased spending over the same period, leaving a total budget deficit of $1.49 trillion.  

Our economy has not seen a single year of growth above 3 percent while President Barack Obama has been in office. This is a failure of economic policy not achieved since Herbert Hoover. The reasons why our economy is still struggling are our government already taxes and spends far too much, and in Clinton’s America, we can expect more of the same.

In Clinton’s America, the long-term fiscal challenges that face us, which are an even graver threat to our prosperity, likely go unaddressed. Despite collecting more revenue than any year since 2001, the budget deficit will rise higher than expected this year, to $590 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. After this year, the annual budget deficit will continue to rise, eventually eclipsing $1 trillion, and a larger share of gross domestic product (GDP). The share of debt held by the public will inch closer to 100 percent of the economy. 

The further out the budget projections go, the worse the fiscal picture gets. Even absent Clinton’s spending proposals, Americans can expect their share of the national debt to reach 141 percent of the economy in just a few decades. Greece and other European socialist welfare states began experiencing severe economic crises when their debts exceeded 100 percent of their economies.

The growth of the federal regulatory state is another serious concern. Representing a more than $1.8 trillion annual burden on businesses and consumers, regulations are the silent killer. Red tape is strangling our economy. Just as concerning is that these federal agencies, which are part of the executive branch, have crossed constitutional barriers, taking power away from Congress.

In Hillary Clinton’s America, the dramatic expansion of executive power left by her predecessor would be a floor, not a ceiling, and businesses and consumers will face increased costs that will reduce economic activity. Conservative thought leaders in Congress who have been working hard to end regulatory overreach—including members of the House Freedom Caucus and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)—will do what they can to raise awareness to the unconstitutional regulatory state. But with the courts unmistakably tilting to the left, they will face a difficult task.

Last, but certainly not least, is the federal judiciary. Filling the vacancy left by the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is only the first battle. As many as three other seats could come open on the High Court in a President Hillary Clinton’s first term, in which the judiciary will drift further to the left.

There is no question that Hillary Clinton will nominate justices who will reject any notion of limited government and consistently defer to her White House and regulatory agencies and shred the Constitution. She has already indicated this with her short-list of Supreme Court nominees, which includes President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, who would enable her administration to run roughshod over its constitutional limitations, as he has demonstrated time and time again during his time on the federal bench.

The best places that conservatives can fight is to block as much of the worst policies as possible, protect conservative fighters in the House and Senate, and begin looking for limited-government victories in the states. This is the best we can hope for under Hillary Clinton’s presidency. {eoa}

Adam Brandon is the president and CEO of FreedomWorks.