Rep. David Thomas frames federal debt as a national security concern in committee testimony

Representative David Thomas presented sponsor testimony on House Concurrent Resolution 24, telling the House Government Oversight Committee that the growth of federal debt is a pressing concern and framing it as a national security issue.

Thomas read figures from his written testimony, saying the federal debt at the time he prepared remarks was roughly "38,828,282,000,000" and that the debt equates to more than $113,000 per Ohio resident as of his writing; he later acknowledged a scale wording issue in the prepared text and indicated the figure should be read in the trillions. He warned that rising interest costs and debt service can crowd out other spending and argued state support for calls to address the debt could be helpful to federal partners.

Thomas said the resolution is not prescriptive: "The resolution is not prescriptive, though," he told the committee, adding the language is intended to signal state backing for federal cost‑cutting conversations rather than mandate specific actions. He framed the issue as bipartisan: "This is not a Republican problem or a Democrat problem. Frankly, it's a national security problem," he said.

In questioning, Ranking Member Humphrey asked whether Congress was likely to take up such an issue now given other geopolitical and domestic pressures; Thomas replied that debt and budget concerns are always part of federal budget discussions and that the resolution is intended as a supporting statement to encourage federal partners to act. Representative Gross asked whether the resolution could endorse a balanced‑budget amendment; Thomas said he personally supports one and would consult his joint sponsor about possible language changes.

Chair Hall closed the first hearing on the resolution after the Q&A. No vote or amendments were recorded during this session.