Name the date of publication when this USA TODAY headline appeared: “Fastest Rise in Federal Spending since FDR.”

Was it 1965, when Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House? 1977, Jimmy Carter’s first year in office? Or 1993, under Bill Clinton? Each Democratic President had majorities of his party in both Houses of Congress.

The answer is: None of the above. The date is April 3, 2006, with President George W. Bush and Republicans in control of both Houses of Congress.

USA TODAY’s Richard Wolf wrote:

    The federal government is currently spending 20.8 cents of every $1 the economy generates, up from 18.5 cents in 2001, White House budget documents show. That’s the most rapid growth during one administration since Franklin Roosevelt, who served 1933-45, during the Depression and World War II.

    There are no signs that the trend is about to turn around. The House Budget Committee last week rejected a proposal that would require spending hikes to be offset by cuts in other spending or by tax increases.

Increased spending for national defense and homeland security draws its share of brickbats in the news media. Many Americans know that this is one area of federal spending that is merited not only by the Constitution but by terrorism and emerging military threats. Many Americans who advocate increased defense spending want thorough oversight of the spending because they know that permitting waste and fraud to flourish is ultimately self-defeating. Congress simply does not provide adequate oversight.

The Administration and Congress must develop a sense of stronger prioritization of spending. Holding the line on spending – particularly nondefense-related spending – makes sense. Consider this: Brian M. Riedl of the Heritage Foundation says that if federal spending is left unchecked by 2016, balancing the budget would require the average household to face an additional $7,000 in taxes, which would break the economy.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC) deserves credit for pressing the majority party in Congress to hold true to its principles. Its recently unveiled “Contract with America: Renewed” is an alternative budget that seeks a smaller Federal Government.

Here’s how the RSC budget establishes the case for fiscal restraint: