[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 34 (Thursday, March 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A BILL TO HELP REDUCE WASTEFUL GOVERNMENT SPENDING

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                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 1999

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I believe that one of the most serious 
problems facing our country today is wasteful Government spending. Each 
year our Government spends billions of taxpayer dollars on things which 
are ineffective and simply unnecessary.
  I have heard many stories from Federal employees about the pressure 
to spend all of the money they have been appropriated for a given 
fiscal year. Agency administrators know that if they have a surplus at 
the end of the fiscal year, it is likely that their budgets will be cut 
the following year.
  That is why I have decided to introduce legislation to address this 
problem. This bill will allow Government agencies to keep half of any 
unspent administrative funds. This money can then be used to pay for 
employee bonuses. The remaining half would be returned to the Treasury 
for the purpose of reducing the national debt.
  My bill rewards fiscal responsibility by giving employees a direct 
benefit for saving taxpayer dollars. At the same time, it will address 
one of the biggest problems facing our country--the national debt. I 
think this is an important step toward restoring the financial security 
of our Nation.

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