Déjà vu in D.C.

Here we go again…

1,000 miles away in a place I just visited again (more on that later) – our nation’s capital – Republicans and Democrats are again locked in seemingly irreversible positions over government spending and the debt ceiling, with a potential government shutdown now just days away.

Without quick action in Washington – a short-term funding agreement must emerge to keep the government operating beyond Sept. 30 and a debt-limit deal is needed by mid-October to avoid the risk of default – our nation will be put in an incredibly difficult position.

And to make matters worse – elected officials, despite going to ends like canceling a week of September 23 recess, do not appear anywhere near a deal. This is problematic in the short term, but also in the long term, as these fiscal issues continue to plague our country in the name of a $17 trillion debt.

While you may not hear that number enough (or at all) in the 24/7 barrage of coverage surrounding the fiscal issues, it is what is important to note. Leaders in Washington, D.C. must not only help protect us now, they must begin a discussion about long term priorities in earnest, because it is our children who will pay the price due to inaction and bickering.

Heck, just last week The Congressional Budget Office said that the long-term outlook for national debt remains negative, despite recent drops in the deficit. Federal debt held by the public, if left unchanged, will rise from 73 to 100 percent of gross domestic product from 2013 to 2038, which could spark the sort of fiscal crises seen in Europe.

But don’t take it from me. "The bottom line remains the same as last year: the federal budget is on a course that cannot be sustained indefinitely," CBO Director Doug Elmendorf recently said.

So here is the deal. The time is now. I have said it before and I will say it again. This is simply not acceptable. I am dismayed that both sides are more engaged in partisan posturing – particularly on political issues unrelated to funding the necessary functions of government – than in passing a budget and dealing with the nation’s significant fiscal challenges.

Instead of responsibly confronting our unsustainable national debt, Congress and the White House seem content to once again enter into rounds of political gamesmanship, ultimatums, and gridlock, rather than focusing on the task of getting our debt on a sustainable path and forging an economic recovery.

Moreover, fights over the short-term continuing resolution and debt limit increase are diverting attention away from the critical issues of entitlement reform, tax reform, and the nation’s debt.

If leaders continue to sit on the sidelines as these fiscal deadlines grow closer, they will truly jeopardize the nation’s economic well-being and we could all pay a terrible price. The time to act is now and that is what I told folks in D.C. just last week. Highlights from my trip include:

• A tour and dinner at the Magna Carta Rotunda at the National Archives with members of Congress, White House staff, business leaders, volunteers, and members of the media frankly discussing the current situation and ways to put the U.S. on a sustainable economic path.
• Meetings on Capitol Hill with both Republican and Democrat Senators discussing the need to work through these pressing issues and deal with the immense federal debt. And that government instability is effecting all of us from large business, to small business, charities and families.
• A meeting with White House administration officials on the need to look at the larger picture of forging a path to long term economic stability. Discussing that we have a short period of time to take action before the debt and servicing of the debt payments become too great of a burden on the U.S. and the average American.