To the editor:

In a recent commentary (“DOGE fiscal reforms will save our nation from bankruptcy,” March 25) Doug Hoffman pointed to the importance of dealing with the national debt, which is currently about $37 trillion. His solution is to cut “reckless spending.” He does not address the revenue side.

Hoffman gives abundant praise to DOGE and its efforts to eliminate the usual suspects, waste and fraud. DOGE has had to make frequent changes to the savings it claims because its people keep making big mistakes that get called out. Its numbers are very fuzzy. And what is the cost of firing people, then finding you need to call them back because they were doing essential national security work? But even if DOGE totally eliminated the federal workforce, that would cut only about 5% from the federal budget. And then who would help our veterans? Who would process our Social Security applications? What about air traffic control? The only spending cuts that would significantly reduce the debt have to come from Medicaid, Medicare, even (?) Social Security.

During his first term, President Trump pushed through huge tax cuts in 2017, with most of the benefits going to people at the highest income levels. During his term, the national debt rose by nearly $7.8 trillion, due in good part to those cuts. Now, he wants to continue the cuts, not let them expire at the end of this year. This extension is expected to reduce tax revenue by about $4.5 trillion over the next 10 years.

If we really are serious about reducing the debt, we need to look at the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts. Otherwise, concern about the national debt is just blowing smoke over cuts to programs that Americans, including in CD-21, have shown they care about.

Claire Gilmore

Piercefield