[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 140 (Tuesday, October 7, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H9254-H9255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WASHINGTON WASTE WATCHERS: DUPLICATION

  The Speaker pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Speaker, I rise again this week as cofounder of 
a new Republican effort, dedicated to bringing the disinfectant of 
sunshine into the shadowy corners of the wasteful Washington 
bureaucracy. We call ourselves the Washington Waste

[[Page H9255]]

Watchers, and we are here to look after the family budget by checking 
the growth of waste, fraud and abuse in the Federal budget.
  Madam Speaker, I am sure that all of my colleagues are well aware of 
the size of our Federal budget deficit. It is large, and growing larger 
every day. To compound the challenge, we are presently faced with an 
additional $87 billion supplemental appropriation request to help fight 
the war on terror.
  Now, I believe, after much debate and due diligence, that this body 
will pass most, if not all, of this request, and I for one, agree that 
it is far better to fight this war on terror over there than it is over 
here. So, faced with unparalleled homeland security needs and a growing 
budget deficit, what are we to do?
  Democrats say the only way to cut the deficit is to yet again raise 
taxes on the American family. Sound familiar? It is the only budget 
idea that they have.
  We do have a large deficit, but it is not because the American people 
are undertaxed, it is because Washington spends too much.
  Since I was born in 1957, the Federal budget has grown seven times 
faster than the family budget. Seven times faster. This is 
unconscionable and unsustainable. And over and above the expenses 
connected with the war on terror, Democrats have voted to spend almost 
$1 trillion more than the budget allows, $1 trillion more in spending, 
and they claim to be concerned about deficits.
  Madam Speaker, much of this spending in Washington is pure waste, 
fraud and abuse, and by attacking it every day, we can begin to close 
this deficit.
  Once again this week, let us talk about duplication.
  The Federal Government administers 50 different programs scattered 
across eight Federal agencies to assist the homeless. Combined, these 
duplicative programs cost Americans close to $30 billion a year. Fifty 
different programs all engaged in roughly the same mission. Yet 
Democrats want to raise taxes to pay for more of this?
  Six different agencies administer 26 programs offering food and 
nutrition benefits to the homeless, including the USDA, HHS, Department 
of Education, FEMA, HUD and the VA. What is it that one of these 
agencies knows about feeding the homeless that the other agencies do 
not know? Whatever it is, I hope they figure it out pretty soon, 
because these duplicative programs cost roughly $43 billion a year. 
Just think how much we could save the American taxpayer over 10 years 
through consolidation of just some of these 26 programs. Yet Democrats 
want to raise our taxes to pay for more of this?
  More than 50 different Federal agencies are responsible for waging 
the war on drugs. Four agencies are responsible for coordinating and 
developing narcotics detection technologies, more than 70 programs in 
13 Federal departments and agencies are eligible to dispense resources 
to prevent substance abuse, and 16 different agencies deal with 
treatment. How many billions could be used to lower the Federal deficit 
if we simply consolidated a few of these programs? Yet the Democrats 
wanted to raise our taxes to pay for more of this?
  Sixteen Federal agencies operate roughly 75 international education, 
culture and training programs. Seventeen agencies monitor and enforce 
trade agreements. Ten of them operate export subsidy programs, and 12 
oversee importation of agricultural products. How much more could we 
save if we simply consolidated a few of these programs. Yet the 
Democrats want to raise our taxes to pay for more of this?
  Madam Speaker, these are just a few of the examples of the rampant 
duplication in waste in our Federal Government that has been here for 
years. Once you begin to look closely, it is easy to see that many 
Federal programs routinely lose 10, 20, even 30 percent of their 
taxpayer-funded budgets in waste, fraud and abuse.

                              {time}  1945

  In the real world, when people lose this much money, they are either 
fired or they go to jail; but in Washington, it is yet another excuse 
to take even more money away from the American family.
  Mr. Speaker, there are many ways that we can save money in Washington 
without cutting any needed services and without raising taxes on the 
American family. Because when it comes to Federal programs, it is not 
how much money Washington spends; it is how Washington spends the 
money.

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