To the Editor,

When you buy a car…you sign a contract. The same goes for your mortgage, your cell phone plan, your car insurance. You receive a service or good in exchange for a promise of payment. Contracts are a key part of our financial system. In Washington, the federal government signs contracts.

A friend said to me, “they (Washington) are doing the same thing any company would do when a new CEO takes over.” Then it hit me. Companies in good standing don’t stop payment on current-term, good-faith contracts while planning the next budget. But I have heard of one company that doesn’t honor contracts. The Trump Organization has a reputation for delaying payments and then shortchanging its contractors after buildings are built. Does it matter? It’s just one real estate business “renegotiating” with the trades and construction suppliers in that city. Doesn’t impact us. But what happens when the federal government does the same across the country? Trust ends.

I believe we must get the budget under control. But this government is freezing contracts everywhere, claiming everything is fraud and waste. I think about business decisions made based on those contracts. When contracts are violated, purchasing stops, farms and small businesses struggle, people get laid off, loans will be in default, and interest rates will rise.  

Did we elect Congresswoman Fischbach to be a cheerleader or a critical thinker who can calculate the cost here and represent the Seventh District’s best interests? So far, she’s only a cheerleader. If you care to share your thoughts, contact her at https://fischbach.house.gov/contact or call her at (202) 225-2165.

Teresa Muckala, 

New York Mills