In the movie Jaws, Roy Schneider, who portrays Police Chief Martin Brody, is famously tossing chum into the ocean off the deck of the fishing boat, Orca, in the hope of attracting a shark. As Chief Brody is lamenting his job and continuing to toss the chum in the water, the 25-foot giant great white shark known as Jaws appears. Chief Brody warns the Orca’s Captain Quint, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
If the federal government is going to continue its deficit spending and debt accumulation, Uncle Sam will not only need a bigger boat, but also lifeboats and flotation devices for the time when the impact of those habits comes crashing down across the bow.
Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the federal government has expanded into almost every sector of the American economy, helping the national debt to surpass $39 trillion. Senator Rand Paul has correctly stated that the national debt represents one of our greatest national security threats, yet nobody seems to care. As Senator Paul noted:
Reckless levels of spending in Washington have been occurring for far too long. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the size of government has grown by more than 49 percent in the last decade. To put this in perspective, the federal government spends more than $11,530 per person, over $3,700 more per individual than what we were spending in 2005. The fiscal crisis we face as a nation needs to be taken seriously, and addressed with immediate action.
One recent example of how we arrived at this point as a nation is the renewal by Congress of the Captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo Young Fishermen’s Development Act which provides federal grants to support “the education of the next generation of commercial fishermen, providing vocational training to enter the industry and transition into roles as captains.”
The reauthorization passed on a bipartisan voice vote, with the general sentiment among supporters that this grant program is vital for the survival of the commercial fishing industry. Iowa’s Representative Zach Nunn, who helped champion the renewal argues that this is also about preserving a heritage. As Rep. Nunn wrote:
But for many Americans, fishing isn’t just a pastime — it’s a livelihood passed down through generations. It’s a tradition built on hard work, skill, and mentorship. And right now, it’s at risk. The problem: The skills that make a successful fisherman — navigation, technique, and staying safe on open water — aren’t learned from a manual. They’re learned from experienced fishermen willing to teach the next generation. But with fewer young people entering the industry each year, that chain of mentorship is beginning to break down. Just like keeping a family farm running through the next generation, sustaining America’s fishing industry requires investing in the people ready to carry it forward.
The Congressional Budget Office’s fiscal estimate for the cost of the program is $7 million annually for 2026-2030, and $3 million per year after 2030. The Young Fishermen’s Development Act may be modest in cost, but it reflects a broader pattern. When every challenge becomes a justification for federal spending, even well-intentioned programs contribute to a system that is already stretched beyond its limits. Multiply this logic across hundreds of industries and thousands of programs, and it becomes clearer how we arrived at a $39 trillion national debt.
Commercial fishing is a vital industry in many regions of the country. There is no question that mentorship, skill, and tradition matter in sustaining that industry. I received my first fishing lessons by learning how to tie line and hooks at my grandfather’s kitchen table and then he showed me the proper casting technique in the yard. The same is true for many entrepreneurs who start their own fishing guide business. They often grow up learning the local waters and fishing techniques from their family.
But that reality also underscores a larger point: these are precisely the kinds of traditions that have historically been sustained without federal intervention. Families, communities, and markets, not Washington, have long been the primary engines of opportunity, training, and innovation.
None of this is to dismiss the importance of fishing, conservation, or the economic pressures facing that particular industry. Those challenges are real. But so is the fiscal trajectory of the federal government. At some point, tradeoffs must be made.
If Washington continues to treat every problem as one requiring a federal solution, the result will not be a stronger foundation, but a more fragile one. The question is not whether a single $7 million program can be justified, but whether the cumulative weight of thousands of such decisions can be sustained.
In Jaws, Chief Brody recognized the danger when it finally surfaced and warned, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Washington has yet to reach that moment of clarity. And by the time it does, a bigger boat may no longer be enough.
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