Balance The Budget, Not The Bloat In Government

By now, reports on redundant, duplicative government spending are getting redundant and duplicative.

Last week, the Government Accountability Office published its second annual report identifying wasteful government spending from ongoing duplicative federal programs.

The report also updated us on how well federal agencies cut wasteful programs identified in last year's first annual report. GAO officials found nearly $100 billion worth of duplicative programs in last year’s report and concluded that only 5% of this wasteful spending has been fully addressed.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats refuse to pass a budget for the third straight year. President Obama releases a budget that will never balance. And, on top of more than $100 billion in waste from last year’s report, the GAO’s second annual report found more than $300 billion wasted annually on over 1,500 programs across dozens of government agencies.

What it reveals is clear: a Washington culture not serious about thrift and saving but rife with spending and bloat.

It’s time to get our budget under control. The Republican Study Committee released a federal budget proposal last year which gets it back on track to balancing within a few years. We look forward to releasing another one real soon.

If there’s one thing that needs to be duplicated annually around Washington, it isn’t wasteful spending – it’s smart thinking and a budget that actually balances.

God Bless,

Congressman Jim Jordan

Chairman, Republican Study Committee