Issue Position: Cutting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

Issue Position

As Missouri State Auditor, Claire learned how to ferret out misconduct and waste -- skills she's carried with her to the Senate. Claire has conducted several investigations into allegations of mismanagement and corruption in the federal government, including a six-year fight to rein in wasteful wartime contracting practices in Iraq in Afghanistan -- an investigation modeled on Harry Truman's famous fight against war profiteering -- and a sustained effort to reform or eliminate the Lifeline government phone subsidy program, which Claire found riddled with fraud and abuse.

Claire also led the fight to permanently ban earmarks, over the objections of many in her own party, because they steered money to projects based on political influence instead of merit.

Claire supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to ensure that the federal government is using the same commonsense budgeting principles that Missouri families follow. And because Claire believes Members of Congress should lead by example, she returns an average of 10 percent of her Senate budget each Congress.

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