The 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' Congress

Years ago, when my dad retired from the legislative fiscal bureau, a branch of the state legislature, his deputy, who was replacing him, delivered a retirement eulogy that stuck with me.

He recognized Dad for creating a respected bipartisan culture within the agency, defining the difference between bipartisan and nonpartisan policymaking.

Nonpartisan agencies engage in public policy, but not for one side.

Bipartisan is different. It means major parties are participating, agreeing, or cooperating on something from their point of view. This requires collaboration.

Our current Congress could use a replay of that message.

Hidden in the halls of Washington sits the Comptroller General, head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency in the legislative branch.

Most people have never heard of Comptroller General, which is part of the problem. This is Congress’s auditor. Not Treasury. Not the White House. Not the Federal Reserve. The Comptroller General does not set tax policy, issue Treasury debt, or vote on spending bills. It was set up in 1921 for independence, serving a single, nonrenewable 15-year term.

The role is to review the books, audit federal agencies, evaluate whether programs are working, and tell Congress what the numbers are saying whether Congress wants to hear it or not.

That was precisely my dad’s state agency function, so I witnessed this process as a child. We could not have yard signs or any political messaging at home or in our yard.

Today, I would be embarrassed to have any in mine.

GAO warns Congress when the country’s finances are drifting into dangerous territory. Recently, they have been doing just that, and not subtly.

In its March 2026 audit of the federal government’s consolidated financial statements, GAO said the federal government "continues to face an unsustainable long-term fiscal path." It noted that net interest spending reached $970 billion in fiscal 2025, more than national defense outlays. Former Comptroller General Gene Dodaro also made the point in public remarks.

The national debt is now around $39 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office projects a $1.9 trillion deficit for fiscal 2026. Debt held by the public stood at 99 percent of GDP at the end of 2025.

We are a wealthy nation that can carry a great deal of debt for a long time. We have deep capital markets, the world’s reserve currency (for now, at least), and economic strengths that most countries do not. But none of that changes the basic pressure debt creates when it keeps rising faster than the economy. More interest expense means less room for everything else. Defense. Infrastructure. Tax flexibility. Social Security and Medicare reform. The ability to respond when the next recession, war, or financial shock arrives. Our living standards.

The audit function is working, and the numbers are in the open.

What’s missing is leadership in Congress.