For her first bill, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos wants to cut wasteful federal spending. This morning she introduced The Government Waste Reduction Act. Bustos, from East Moline and Illinois' 17th district, says her bill would establish the Waste Reduction Board, and its job would be to review recommendations from the Government Accountability Office, and send them to the House and Senate for votes.
In 2011, the GAO made 81 recommendations on how the federal government could save money by eliminating waste and duplication. Then it followed last year with 51 more suggestions.
"For example, there are 47 job training programs, 44 of which overlap. Simply consolidating those programs that overlap could save taxpayer money while not impacting program quality."
Food safety is another example of fragmented responsibility - currently it's overseen by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, plus several other agencies.
"Common sense proposals to cut waste already exist but we've let those proposals sit on the shelf gathering dust. We're not going to save anything unless we implement these proposals."
Bustos calls this a common sense way to save money, and not hurt programs for seniors, veterans, and defense. The Waste Reduction Board would be made up of senators and representatives, and several members from the administration. Congress would be required to vote on its recommendations.