“If the Congress is approving spending ....”
The problem is indexed entitlements that put spending increases on autopilot. Let’s get rid of indexation, and also the concept of “entitlement,” and make ALL spending subject to the annual budget process.
The working model for this, and a perfectly sensible first step, would be the recent Republican proposal to block grant Medicaid and turn it over to the states.
Look at who paid for the signs.