Every 2 years I review my past Congressional Financial Wish List, both to see what happened since last time, as well as to see what could be improved. Starting with my 2023 list, I’ll update 2025 highlights. 2023 originals are summarized in plain text, and new 2025 comments are in italics.

• 2023 original: Wish #1. The Federal Reserve (FED) should pause rate hikes. Excessive government spending, consequent inflation, and FED interest rate hikes crippled our economy. 2025 update: Fast forward, and the FED has slowly reduced So slowly that most Americans, along with the President, would prefer faster cuts. Grade = “B”
• 2023 original: Wish #2. Get a grip on spending in Ukraine. American dollars are being ripped off in Ukraine, and weapons are falling into the wrong hands. Restraint is needed, and oversight is a must. 2025 update: With the new Administration, the financial drain has abated, but progress toward settlement is painfully slow and uncertain. Grade “B“
• 2023 original: Wish #3. Build that wall. We need to finish what we started under Trump 45. Instead, we sell existing wall sections for pennies on the dollar. 2025 update: Trump has resumed construction, and the Wall is part of the greatest cessation of illegal immigration ever witnessed. Grade “A”
• 2023 original: Wish #4. Return to a Constitutional budgeting process to slow spending growth. We are on track for another $2 Trillion (12 zeros) deficit in FY 2023, 100% of which gets added to the National Debt. 2025 update: House Speaker Mike Johnson has implemented the new (old?) budgeting system, but the liberal Democrats’ resistance movement has left the process not even half done. Grade “C+”
• 2023 original: Wish #5. Address the Social Security and Medicare impending insolvencies. The clock is ticking on Social Programs, and too many Americans depend on the programs’ continuation. 2025 update: No change. Grade “F”

Updating the List for 2025/26 is not a pleasant task. But one area stands alone in deserving praise. Taxes. For those of us who firmly believe in lower taxes and reduced regulation, 2025 was a barn burner. With the 2017 “Trump Tax Cuts” now made permanent (they were slated to expire on 1/1/2026), America was changed in a manner, and to a degree, that many Americans under-appreciate. Grade “A+” on taxes.