03.04.15

Budget Chairman Enzi Applauds Ayotte Bill to Eliminate Waste in Govt. Spending

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today applauded legislation introduced by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) that would help eliminate waste in federal government spending. Senator Ayotte’s bill (S. 236) would save billions of taxpayer dollars by making it easier for Congress to eliminate duplicative and wasteful programs across federal government agencies.

“Senator Ayotte’s bill will help ensure that hardworking taxpayers are getting the best deal for their money,” said Chairman Enzi.  “Legislation like this can save taxpayers billions of dollars every year and make our government more efficient, more effective and more accountable.”

The Senate Budget Committee held a hearing today on wasteful government spending that included testimony from the head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which has outlined tens of billions of dollars in savings that can be achieved through various efficiency measures.

"With our nation over $18 trillion in debt, we simply can't afford to continue wasting hard-earned taxpayer dollars on duplicative and ineffective federal programs," Senator Ayotte said. "It's well past time for Congress and the president to act on GAO's commonsense recommendations, and our bipartisan legislation would be a significant step toward streamlining and modernizing government programs to save billions of taxpayer dollars."

The Duplication Elimination Act would require the President to submit to Congress a joint resolution implementing the GAO's recommendations and to provide Congress with a report that explains which GAO recommendations are excluded and the reason for their omission. Congress would then vote on the joint resolution within ten days. Additionally, the bill includes a requirement that any savings achieved from implementing the GAO's recommendations be used solely for deficit reduction.

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