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DemocRATs Caught Lying, Again - 'RAT Government Not Cutting Waste
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DemocRATs Hall of Shame!
May 23, 2013, 8:24:57 AM5/23/13
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http://mobile.thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/administration/301315-progress-slow-in-ending-duplicative-government-programs
GAO: Government not cutting waste
05/22/13
Congress and the Obama administration have scrapped just a fraction of
the duplicative programs targeted for cuts by Government
Accountability Office (GAO), the agency’s chief told lawmakers
Wednesday.
Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro said just 12 percent of more than
300 recommendations issued by GAO since 2011 to eliminate, combine or
modify duplicative programs have been fully carried out.
“You just need to be organized better to tackle the problem,” Dodaro
said during testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs.
The hearing follows the release of the latest in a series of GAO
reports finding billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted on
government overlap spread across dozens of federal agencies.
Among its findings is the existence of two separate programs
responsible for federal catfish inspections, 76 different drug abuse
programs and a general lack of coordination between departments
charged with providing veterans services.
The Pentagon has wasted $82 million in unnecessary expenses for
military uniforms that now come in seven different camouflage
patterns. The Centers for Medicare amp; Medicaid Services is in danger
of losing $8.35 billion over 10 years on an unproven Medicare
Advantage bonus program, the GAO found.
The report identified billions more in revenue lost as a result of
untargeted enforcement by the Internal Revenue Service and dozens of
contracts awarded by the Department of Homeland Security that
overlapped with activities already conducted elsewhere in the
department. Together the contracts totaled roughly $66 million.
“A lot of it is associated with stupidity,” said Sen. Tom Coburn
(R-Okla.), the panel’s top Republican.
Coburn blamed much of the waste on a lack of metrics in place to
monitor the effectiveness of programs and Congress’s unwillingness to
approve legislation aimed at reducing the problem.
For example, he pointed to the SKILLS Act, a bill to consolidate a
host of federal workforce development programs. The legislation has
stalled in the Senate after passing the House in March.
Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) said there’s no easy fix for
many of the problems identified by the GAO.
“The issues cut across various departments and long standing federal
programs that have entrenched constituencies and, in many cases,
provide the public with much-needed services,” said Carper. “It is
time, then, for Congress and the executive branch to roll up our
sleeves and get to work solving these issues.”nbsp;
Dodaro said the GAO has seen progress on a number of fronts. The
executive or legislative branches have taken some action to address
roughly two-thirds of the recommendations, leaving only 21 percent
completely untouched.
“We think there’s some traction,” Dodaro said.
President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal included more than 215 cuts,
consolidations and other savings that, together, are projected to save
more than $25 billion.
Federal lawmakers are also working on numerous fronts to weed out
duplicative programs.
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), for example,
said this week they would introduce an amendment to the farm bill to
repeal the Agriculture Department’s superfluous $14 million catfish
inspection program.
But Congress must do more, Dodaro said. He said House and Senate
committees would have to increase their oversight of government
agencies to ensure they address the recommendations. Since many of the
issues cut across jurisdictional lines, joint-committee hearings could
be in order, he said.
Dodaro also urged aggressive implementation of the 2010 Government
Performance and Results Act, which requires agencies to set goals and
priorities for programs, conduct data-driven reviews and monitor
success.
--
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GAO: Government not cutting waste
05/22/13
Congress and the Obama administration have scrapped just a fraction of
the duplicative programs targeted for cuts by Government
Accountability Office (GAO), the agency’s chief told lawmakers
Wednesday.
Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro said just 12 percent of more than
300 recommendations issued by GAO since 2011 to eliminate, combine or
modify duplicative programs have been fully carried out.
“You just need to be organized better to tackle the problem,” Dodaro
said during testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs.
The hearing follows the release of the latest in a series of GAO
reports finding billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted on
government overlap spread across dozens of federal agencies.
Among its findings is the existence of two separate programs
responsible for federal catfish inspections, 76 different drug abuse
programs and a general lack of coordination between departments
charged with providing veterans services.
The Pentagon has wasted $82 million in unnecessary expenses for
military uniforms that now come in seven different camouflage
patterns. The Centers for Medicare amp; Medicaid Services is in danger
of losing $8.35 billion over 10 years on an unproven Medicare
Advantage bonus program, the GAO found.
The report identified billions more in revenue lost as a result of
untargeted enforcement by the Internal Revenue Service and dozens of
contracts awarded by the Department of Homeland Security that
overlapped with activities already conducted elsewhere in the
department. Together the contracts totaled roughly $66 million.
“A lot of it is associated with stupidity,” said Sen. Tom Coburn
(R-Okla.), the panel’s top Republican.
Coburn blamed much of the waste on a lack of metrics in place to
monitor the effectiveness of programs and Congress’s unwillingness to
approve legislation aimed at reducing the problem.
For example, he pointed to the SKILLS Act, a bill to consolidate a
host of federal workforce development programs. The legislation has
stalled in the Senate after passing the House in March.
Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) said there’s no easy fix for
many of the problems identified by the GAO.
“The issues cut across various departments and long standing federal
programs that have entrenched constituencies and, in many cases,
provide the public with much-needed services,” said Carper. “It is
time, then, for Congress and the executive branch to roll up our
sleeves and get to work solving these issues.”nbsp;
Dodaro said the GAO has seen progress on a number of fronts. The
executive or legislative branches have taken some action to address
roughly two-thirds of the recommendations, leaving only 21 percent
completely untouched.
“We think there’s some traction,” Dodaro said.
President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal included more than 215 cuts,
consolidations and other savings that, together, are projected to save
more than $25 billion.
Federal lawmakers are also working on numerous fronts to weed out
duplicative programs.
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), for example,
said this week they would introduce an amendment to the farm bill to
repeal the Agriculture Department’s superfluous $14 million catfish
inspection program.
But Congress must do more, Dodaro said. He said House and Senate
committees would have to increase their oversight of government
agencies to ensure they address the recommendations. Since many of the
issues cut across jurisdictional lines, joint-committee hearings could
be in order, he said.
Dodaro also urged aggressive implementation of the 2010 Government
Performance and Results Act, which requires agencies to set goals and
priorities for programs, conduct data-driven reviews and monitor
success.
--
The DemocRATs Hall of Shame©!
15,000+ Buckwheat & DemocRAT Pics!
Over 17 Million Hits Since 2/10!
5/16/13: Galleries Updated!
Nearly 700 New OBAMA & 'RAT Cartoons Added!
Learn the TRUTH about: Bradley K Sherman, Bret Cahill, Dakota, David Johnston,
Denny, Lee Curtis, LiberalHere, Lickin Ass' and Fakin' Military Service,
MI Wakefield, Mitchel Holman, Ramon Herrera, Roneal, Sid9, Sir Gay, Tom Sr,
Yoorghis.
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