The 2024 election is over except for the final tallies. We will soon have a new President and new Senators and new Congressmen. I’m hoping and praying that the new legislature will do their job—make and pass laws—and do so quickly. There are multiple issues (many of which are primarily non-partisan) that need to be dealt with.
They aren’t easy issues, so it won’t be done without much work, prayer, and debate. I, for one, will be praying for you. So will other believers. That’s our job. To be honest, praying for you is much easier than doing what you will need to do, for your job is tough.
When you run for office, you say what you need to say to get elected. But once you’re in Congress, there are difficult issues that must be addressed—and the solutions will necessarily offend some people, especially in a divided America. The temptation—unfortunately—is to ignore the tough issues and let future sessions of Congress deal with them. But ignoring these issues will just make them worse and harder to deal with down the road.
It is your constitutional responsibility to legislate. I will be praying that you do a good job of it, and that you neither sway to the right or to the left, but that you will do what is right and best for our country in the long run.
What are these issues?
Social Security. About 67,000,000 Americans receive Social Security in some form, either as a retirement benefit, a disability benefit, or as a survivor benefit. The fund that pays the retirement benefits will be depleted in 2035—in about ten years. Congress needs to make plans and pass laws to stabilize the fund. It won’t be easy, for some combination of two things must happen: (1) Increase income to the fund by increasing taxes on at least some people still working, or (2) reduce benefits to at least some people receiving benefits. Obviously, either one would cause an outcry. But that is the conundrum you accepted when you ran for Congress. From a Biblical standard, you must keep previous promises to Americans, use good stewardship principles, and not overburden working families. It will be tough, but it is your responsibility. Do your job.
Minimum Wage. The Federal Minimum wage is still only $7.25 per hour. A full-time worker at that wage will only make $15,080 per year—an unlivable wage. 34 states, districts, and territories have increased their minimum; but that still leaves many places where the minimum does not even come close to providing a fair wage. The federal minimum has not increased since 2009. It won’t be popular to even talk about it, but either you must abolish the federal minimum wage altogether and let the states set their standards, or you must increase it. Keeping it at $7.25 is unfair to workers. Do your job.
Border Policy. During every election since I began voting (in 1976), the border was a major issue, but only minor tweaks to our policy have been made. We need clear laws regarding our borders and effective procedures to enforce those laws. How do we control it? How many asylum or refugee seekers do we allow? What is the policy to guarantee quick responses to asylum seekers? What are the penalties and procedures to deal with those who cross illegally? How do we increase our security on the border at both legal border crossings and in between them to keep out drugs, terrorists, and weapons? Biblically speaking, we need a policy that has clear laws and enforcement and that still shows compassion to all people. It’s the legislature’s job to fix the border problem. Do your job.
Dreamers. Many people (often known as dreamers) came into our country as infants or as very young children. They have lived in a quasi-legal situation ever since. Sending them back to their country of origin (where they may have no family and not even know the language) doesn’t seem fair. Keeping them here without a path to citizenship doesn’t seem fair either. It’s up to the legislature to pass a law clarifying the situation. Do your job.
Reducing the National Debt: The national debt currently stands at about $36 trillion, or about $106,500 for every person in the United States. For all my voting life, I have voted for Senators and Representatives who pledged to reduce the debt—but nothing has been done. The last president to reduce the national debt was Calvin Coolidge, and he left office in 1929. Since then, there has been much talk, but no real action. Reducing the debt will not be easy, for it requires either increasing income or reducing expenses. Both Biblically and economically speaking, it is bad policy to continue to accumulate unchecked debt. Legislature, it’s your job. Do your job.
Climate Change: Though some still deny that climate change is real and is a result of human activity, scientists are nearly unanimous in recognizing the reality of the problem, and consequences are becoming more obvious every year. We are under a Biblical mandate to care for God’s creation. It is extremely poor public policy to ignore it and leave it for our children and grandchildren to deal with it, especially since accumulated problems are often irreversible. Legislature, it is your job to deal with the issue, and the solutions will not be popular with all people. But that is your job; do it!
There are many other issues. Our foreign policy for providing arms and help for countries like Israel and Ukraine needs to be clarified. We need to seek peace. Puerto Rico is a large “unincorporated territory” that either needs to become a state or helped to become an independent nation; what will we do and how will we help them? Natural disasters—floods, hurricanes, tornados, heat, drought, rising seas—are increasing; what will we do to prepare for them and mitigate the consequences?
None of the issues are easy to solve. Solving them may (more likely will) make people angry enough that Senators and Representatives won’t be re-elected. But legislating is the job description; job security is not part of the equation.
I will do my best to pray for you rather than to criticize you, for your job is not easy. We need people with the skills, the knowledge, the integrity, and the courage to do the job for a term or two even if it means that they will be voted out. It’s not (or at least it should not be) a path to popularity or great wealth or one that guarantees a long career.
It’s a tough job. I will be praying that you are up to the task!