[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S4142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL RELATIVE TO AN EXPEDITED PROCEDURE TO RESCIND 
   UNNECESSARY SPENDING AND TO BROADLY SCALE BACK FUNDING LEVELS IF 
          WARRANTED, TOGETHER WITH A SECTIONAL ANALYSIS--PM 57

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget:

To the Congress of the United Sates:
  Today, I am pleased to submit to the Congress the enclosed 
legislative proposal, the ``Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010,'' 
along with a section-by-section analysis of the legislation.
  This proposal will be another important step in restoring fiscal 
discipline and making sure that Washington spends taxpayer dollars 
responsibly. It will provide a new tool to streamline Government 
programs and operations, cut wasteful Government spending, and enhance 
transparency and accountability to the American people. The legislation 
will create an expedited procedure to rescind unnecessary spending and 
to broadly scale back funding levels if warranted. The legislation 
would require the Congress to vote up or down on legislation proposed 
by the President to rescind funding. This new, enhanced rescission 
authority will not only empower the President and the Congress to 
eliminate unnecessary spending, but also discourage waste in the first 
place.
  Now more than ever, it's critical that taxpayer dollars are not 
wasted on programs that are ineffective, duplicative, or out-dated. In 
a time when American families and small business owners are conscious 
of every dollar and make sure that they manage their budgets wisely, 
the Federal Government can do no less. The American people expect and 
demand that we spend their money with the same discipline. Allowing 
taxpayer dollars to be wasted is both an irresponsible use of taxpayer 
funds and an irresponsible abuse of the public trust.
  Recently, the Congress has taken welcome steps to curb wasteful 
spending. In 2007, when I served in the Senate, a bipartisan group 
worked together to eliminate anonymous earmarks and brought new 
measures of transparency to the process so Americans can better follow 
how their tax dollars are being spent. Consequently, we have seen 
progress--with earmarks declining since these reforms were passed, 
including during this past fiscal year.
  In addition, my administration undertook a line-by-line review of the 
Budget, and put forward approximately $20 billion of terminations, 
reductions, and savings both for Fiscal Year 2010 and 2011. While 
recent administrations have seen between 15 to 20 percent of their 
proposed discretionary cuts approved by the Congress, for FY 2010, we 
worked with the Congress to enact 60 percent of proposed cuts.
  Despite the progress we have made to reduce earmarks and other 
unnecessary spending, there is still more work to be done. The 
legislation I am sending to you today provides an important tool. The 
legislation allows the President to target spending policies that do 
not have a legitimate and worthy public purpose by providing the 
President with an additional authority to propose the elimination of 
wasteful or excessive funding. These proposals then receive expedited 
consideration in the Congress and a guaranteed up-or-down vote. This 
legislation would also allow the President to delay funding for these 
projects until the Congress has had the chance to consider the changes. 
In addition, this proposal has been crafted to preserve the 
constitutional balance of power between the President and the Congress.
  Overall, the ``Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010'' provides a 
new way for the Congress and the President to manage taxpayer dollars 
wisely. That is why I urge the prompt and favorable consideration of 
this proposal, and look forward to working with the Congress on this 
matter in the coming weeks.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, May 24, 2010.

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