The Honorable CharlesF. BassUnited States Houseof Representatives2350 Rayburn HouseOffice BuildingWashington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Bass,
On behalf of the 362,000 members ofthe National Taxpayers Union (NTU), I write in strong support of H. Res. 307,which would create the “Reduction of Nonessential Federal ExpendituresCommittee.” This “un-appropriations” panel would have as its sole focuseliminating waste, inefficiency, and duplication in the federal budget. Washington’s$1.65 trillion overspending problem attests to the urgency of your legislation.
This idea has been successfullyimplemented in the past. The late Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. (I-VA), who was aclose advisor to NTU, first created the Joint Committee on the Reduction ofNonessential Federal Expenditures in 1941. Over the next 33 years, theso-called “Byrd Committee” was vital in finding, studying, and eliminatinggovernment waste in order to strengthen federal finances. In its first fouryears of existence alone the Byrd Committee’s recommendations directly savedthe government nearly $2.5 billion while requiring only $46,000 in funding.
A new Byrd Committee would sufferno shortage of ideas. For example, NTU, working in conjunction with the liberal-leaningU.S. Public Interest Research Group, released a report late last year called“Toward Common Ground” with a list of more than 30 specific policyrecommendations that would save taxpayers over $600 billion by 2015. Thereductions we identified represent the “low hanging fruit” of wasteful spendingthat could be reduced or eliminated immediately. In addition, a recent reportfrom the Government Accountability Office found 34 areas of the federalgovernment where “duplication, overlap, or fragmentation” may be costingtaxpayers as much as $100 billion annually. In addition to cost savings, ComptrollerGeneral Gene Dodaro noted that eliminating waste could “help agencies providemore efficient and effective services.”
Congress already has more than 40standing committees whose job it is to spend taxpayer dollars. The time hascome to establish one whose job it is to save taxpayer dollars. The ability tocut spending while simultaneously improving how government functions representsa winning formula for taxpayers. At a time when Americans are being forced toscour their budgets in search of ways to save money, our government has a dutyto operate under the same realities. Thus, we encourage all House Members towork toward passage of H. Res. 307, which will help provide the tools necessaryto begin solving our government’s overspending problem.
Sincerely,Brandon GreifeFederalGovernment Affairs Manager