[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3625-S3626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to state a principle that is 
known well by those of us who have served in the private sector, and 
that principle is simply this: What gets measured gets done.
  This week, as my colleague from New Hampshire has already stated, we 
begin work on the Federal budget even as we are implementing the 
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
  Both of these actions can either confirm the claims of critics, the 
skeptics who always say that Washington simply is not capable of 
managing the taxpayer's money responsibly or it could present us with a 
tailor-made opportunity to demonstrate that we can combine bold action 
with innovation and transparency as we work to get our economy and our 
country back on the right track.
  In the near term, the targeted investments included in the Recovery 
Act are designed to create millions of new jobs.
  The President's budget proposals, if they are enacted, will allow us 
to make longer term investments through the expanded use of electronic 
health records, the build-out of the smart grid, and through energy-
saving improvements to millions of homes and businesses.
  Now, I do not think the American people expect miracles--but they 
can, and they should, expect competence.
  So we must put in place the people with the right skills, insist on 
appropriate measurements, and then demand transparency and 
accountability.
  When I became Virginia's Governor at the peak of an earlier 
recession, back in 2002, I inherited a $6 billion revenue shortfall in 
Virginia's $34 billion annual budget.
  Our administration made the painful spending cuts, but then we did 
something else: we used that opportunity to enact long-term budget 
reforms that continue to save taxpayer money today.
  For instance, we renegotiated a number of our State contracts and 
leveraged our purchasing power. We reduced the cost of light bulbs from 
32 cents to 23 cents. Now, saving nine-cents per bulb will not close a 
$6 billion shortfall, but the State buys an awful lot of light bulbs.
  We found similar savings in procurement across much of State 
government, bundling our purchasing power the same way many major 
businesses do.
  We examined and then eliminated outdated boards and commissions. We 
consolidated our State information technology activities. We took a 
whole new portfolio approach to managing our real estate holdings and 
our vehicle fleet, just as any business would.
  These business-like reforms produced almost immediate taxpayer 
savings. And it accomplished something else as well: it created an 
expectation of transparency and accountability that resulted in 
Virginia being independently designated as the Nation's best managed 
State, and the best State for business investment.
  I do not rise today to brag on the Commonwealth of Virginia well, 
perhaps a little bit. Instead, I rise today to suggest that this same 
approach--straight talk, tough choices, and an insistence on 
commonsense reform and accountability--is critically important here and 
now in Washington, DC.
  President Obama has made it clear to Governors and mayors across the 
country that we need their help for this Recovery and Reinvestment Act 
to succeed. I commend the administration for insisting that 
accountability does not simply stop at the State capital, once a 
Governor releases funds to localities. We must have the same high 
standards of accountability at the local level as well.
  I also am pleased that the administration's recovery.gov Web site 
conveys a lot of useful information to the taxpayers in a clear and 
user-friendly way. And by midweek, all but a handful of States are 
expected to launch similar Web sites of their own.
  But as they launch these Web sites, we must make sure that they have 
standard metrics so we can actually

[[Page S3626]]

compare progress from one State to another.
  It is also imperative that we keep the pressure on officials at every 
level of Government to continue to aggressively look for even more 
creative ways to make these sites more useful.
  In recent weeks, I have spoken to key administration officials about 
what other steps we might take to promote transparency and 
accountability in implementing the Recovery Act.
  If we do this right, it could build a solid foundation to promote 
longer term fiscal responsibility as we move forward in the Federal 
budget process.
  For instance, I believe we should drill-down and reach consensus on 
commonsense definitions and metrics. Let me give you an example.
  When I chaired the National Governors Association in 2005, we 
launched a major effort to reform our high schools. I was astonished to 
learn there was no common definition across the States of `high school 
graduate.'
  So we spent months working with educators, academics and policymakers 
to reach a common definition so we could determine whether a high 
school graduate in Alaska or in New Mexico was meeting the same kind of 
qualifications as a high school graduate in Virginia.
  That now allows us to look at those programs that work--and those 
that don't--across all of the States.
  I believe that experience provides a useful model as we work to 
develop a common set of metrics that allows us to honestly and 
effectively track Federal spending, especially with the stimulus 
dollars where we are ramping up so many new initiatives in such a short 
time-frame.
  To do this, we will need to work through existing organizations, such 
as the National Governors Association, the Conference of Mayors, the 
National Association of Counties, and others, as we work to design 
effective measurement tools.
  For example, most of us agree that expanding high speed Internet 
broadband to rural communities will create jobs. It will allow folks in 
every region of our Nation to have an opportunity to compete and win in 
the global economy.
  Obviously, as we roll out broadband, we will track our progress by 
noting how many communities are served and the number of Internet 
connections that are added.
  But what if we also came up with a way to capture information about 
how many rural businesses were able to launch or grow because of this 
expanded access to broadband? That information would allow us to 
measure the true value of broadband to the longer term economic 
viability of our rural communities.
  Or consider our commitment to dramatically expand weatherization 
improvements to the homes of lower-income Americans. Now, certainly we 
will tally the number of structures that undergo these energy-saving 
upgrades, and it should be relatively easy to document the number of 
workers in the weatherization program.
  But couldn't we also come up with some way to measure what one would 
reasonably expect to be a reduction in the annual demand for 
Government-funded heating and cooling assistance? And wouldn't that 
information be helpful as we consider funding levels for LIHEAP and 
similar assistance in the years to come?
  In short, I believe every level of Government should go the extra 
mile in laying out exactly how the Federal dollars are being spent, and 
we should honestly measure and disclose program outcomes.
  I also think, as we roll out these major expenditures, it is a good 
idea to link disbursements with predetermined timelines and checkpoints 
to better track our progress. Let's not wait until all of the money is 
spent before we determine whether the program works or not.
  Consequently, if we do not see appropriate progress, we could delay 
or defer future payments.
  In addition, Federal and State governments also should be encouraged 
to reach outside their comfort zones and challenge individuals in the 
private sector to step-up and provide specialized expertise.
  Again, within the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we are going to be 
ramping up a series of important new initiatives on a very short 
timeline.
  How do we get the expertise from the private sector to engage in this 
effort? For example, this could be part of the Serve America Act, which 
we will consider and vote on this week, which will promote and expand 
public service opportunities for our citizens.
  We must try to draw upon the best and brightest to bring them into 
Government service, even if it is on a part-time basis, as we ramp up 
these new initiatives.
  I am talking about men and women with proven management capabilities, 
individuals who can move with the speed of venture capitalists to 
embrace new ideas, or recently retired military leaders who have 
successfully overseen relief efforts.
  This is the type of expertise we need to draw upon if we are going to 
ramp-up these programs successfully. And as we do this, we must also 
have the courage to cut back or eliminate programs that cannot prove 
their worth.
  As a former Governor who enjoyed line-item veto authority, I 
wholeheartedly support President Obama's pledge to conduct a line-by-
line review of the federal budget to identify waste and fraud.
  I also encourage the administration to conduct a broad-based review 
of Governmental programs--a review that is horizontal, not just 
vertical.
  Based upon my experience as Governor, and the experiences of 
countless Fortune 500 companies, I know that an enterprise-wide review 
could reveal additional opportunities to wring-out significant budget 
savings.
  Typically, one can find sustainable savings in three areas: 
procurement, technology, and human resources.
  That is why it is vitally important that the administration move 
quickly to appoint its chief performance officer, and that CPO must 
have the authority to act quickly, along with the chief information 
officer and chief technology officer. These individuals must have a 
mandate to work across multiple Federal agencies, and I hope they 
ruffle a few feathers.
  Mr. President, I will say it again: what gets measured gets done.
  In the short term, creating an expectation of transparency and 
accountability will maximize our `bang for the buck' as we continue to 
implement the Recovery Act.
  And over the longer-term, this focus and genuine commitment to fiscal 
responsibility will demonstrate that Washington can, in fact, act with 
both confidence and restraint when it comes to spending the taxpayer's 
money.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Gillibrand). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning 
business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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