Americans Tell John Kline: Cut Wasteful $2 Billion 'FreedomCar' Program
Press Release
Throughout the past five weeks, more than 1,000 Minnesotans have shared their thoughts and concerns by participating in John Kline's YouCut initiative. Since the end of July, Congressman Kline has been home in Minnesota listening to constituents who are expressing their frustration with the way the federal government is wasting their hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
Through John Kline's YouCut initiative, Minnesotans are playing a role in changing Washington's culture of spending into a culture of savings. Kline has received more than 1,400 votes and hundreds of suggestions regarding how the federal government could save money. When Congress resumes Tuesday, Sept. 14, Congressman Kline will ask his colleagues to cut the project voted most wasteful by Minnesotans. The "FreedomCAR" and fuel partnership program provides federal funding for research on fuel cell technology, despite existing private-sector research and the market incentives. Eliminating this program would save taxpayers $2 billion over 10 years.
Results from the online poll are below:
Question: Please choose below one of the programs you would like Congress to cut.
1. Redirect IRS Direct Deposit fees toward deficit reduction - 172 (14%)
2. Eliminate funding for a government project that the private sector is already leading - 694 (55%)
3. Eliminate the Economic Development Administration (EDA) - 299 (24%)
4. Eliminate middle-men in paid volunteer program - 102 (8%)
"I look forward to returning to Washington this week to share with my colleagues what many Minnesotans have been saying loud and clear - stop the spending," said Kline. "Americans are tired of the borrowing and spending and bailouts and takeovers. Cutting wasteful federal government programs through YouCut is a good start."
In his fourth term in Congress, Congressman Kline is the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee. He is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
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