Udall, Hatch Seek to Form Committee to Eliminate Nonessential Federal Programs

Press Release

Sens. Mark Udall and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced legislation today that would establish a bipartisan Senate committee to identify and target wasteful and underperforming federal government programs for elimination.

Their legislation would create the Committee to Reduce Government Waste, which would be dedicated to saving taxpayers billions of dollars by cutting ineffective and redundant federal programs instead of raising taxes.

"Many government programs were created with good intentions, but in too many cases, Congress has also created other redundant and sometimes wasteful programs rather than strategically targeting resources where they are needed," Udall said. "An "un-authorizing' committee would add teeth to our efforts to streamline our government, pare down our national budget, save taxpayers' dollars and strengthen the private economy by making sure the government is as lean as ever."

"Our nation has reached a tipping point," Hatch said. "Our debt now tops $14 trillion, which equates to more than $42,000 for every American man, woman and child. We can start tackling our debt by targeting the fat on Washington's bloated bureaucracy. This is a common-sense way of saving taxpayers billions, and that is exactly what this common-sense legislation does."

A similar committee to the one Udall and Hatch are proposing, formed in response to the rising costs of World War II, succeeded in saving more than $38 billion in present dollars over three years just by reducing wasteful spending. Udall and Hatch say it is time to reconstitute a similar committee to bring more fiscal accountability to Washington and much-needed relief to taxpayers.

There is a lot of waste to cut, according to a General Accounting Office (GAO) report released earlier this week. The GAO concluded billions of dollars could be slashed from the federal budget by eliminating duplicative government programs. For instance, the GAO found the federal government has 80 economic-development programs, 44 employment and training programs and five agencies within the Department of Transportation that operate 100 surface-transportation programs.

As outlined by Udall and Hatch, the Committee to Reduce Government Waste would submit a report to the Senate at least once a year that identified underperforming and wasteful government programs in need of cuts or elimination. The report's recommendations would receive expedited consideration in the Senate. The committee would be comprised of 12 members, four from each of the Senate Finance, Appropriations and Budget committees. The Senate Majority and Minority leaders would each pick six members. Each member's service would be limited to six years.

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