In the land of cheese, Packers fans, and polite Midwestern hospitality, Wisconsin’s own Senator Ron Johnson is standing his ground against the whirlwind of spending that has overtaken Washington, D.C. Recently, he had a chat with President Biden about a hefty new spending bill that is trying to push its way through Congress. Even after talking with the President, Senator Johnson remains firm in his opposition. And who can blame him, really? The numbers are as staggering as a Packers loss in the final seconds of a playoff game.

Before COVID-19 flipped the script on everyone’s life—including Uncle Sam’s financial habits—the average yearly deficit was quite different. Back then, the federal government’s deficits averaged about $660 billion. Fast forward to the pandemic-era spending spree, and we shot up to an astounding $3.1 trillion deficit, which makes one wonder if some folks in D.C. are carrying around Monopoly money instead of the real thing. Apparently, once the economy started to recover, there was a genuine hope that spending would dial back to those pre-pandemic levels. But under the current administration, annual deficits are averaging a whopping $1.9 trillion—that’s nearly enough to buy every Wisconsinite a lifetime supply of cheese curds.

Now, with this “big beautiful bill,” as it’s so affectionately called, the projections are even more mind-boggling. We’re looking at spending reaching over $7 trillion this year, and next year promises to be just as generous with taxpayers’ dollars. How festive! Meanwhile, it seems the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is counting every penny—yet they’re still only halfway through sorting out the fiscal mess of this 300-provision cornucopia. Could there be a sale on calculators?

Johnson, one of the Tea Party’s stalwarts sworn to fiscal sanity when America was a ‘measly’ $14 trillion in debt, clearly isn’t dazzled by big shiny price tags. Incredibly, the national debt now sits at $37 trillion, and Senator Johnson holds an oddly novel idea: perhaps it’s time to actually debate and scrutinize the bill before rubber-stamping it into existence. Revolutionary, no? Rather than turning legislation into a mysterious piñata of financial surprises, there’s a call among some of his colleagues to dissect the bill, piece by piece, and decide what actually benefits Americans.

So the question remains: Will there be a reasonable debate, or will the bill be passed like a surprise gift that you can’t return? Johnson suggests that efforts need to be made immediately to focus, prioritize, and, dare we say, economize. In the haze of deadlines and political pressures, let’s not forget that every dollar counts—and every penny comes out of taxpayers’ wallets. Maybe it’s time to pause, take a breath, and get back to old-fashioned budgeting. After all, who wants D.C. spending habits to outshine the drama of a Wisconsin winter storm?