[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1625-E1626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FINDINGS OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT 
   REFORM RELATING TO EFFICIENCY AND REFORM PURSUANT TO H. RES. 1493

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2010

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, pursuant to subsection (c)(2) of H. Res. 
1493, the House-passed Budget Enforcement Resolution, I am submitting 
the following information for printing in the Congressional Record. The 
Budget Enforcement Resolution requires that I identify the Committee 
actions that help achieve deficit reduction by reducing waste, fraud, 
and abuse in government programs, promoting efficiency and government 
reform, and controlling spending in the government programs. This 
requirement reflects the House's commitment to deficit reduction and 
bringing about a more efficient and accountable government for the 
American people. As Chairman of the Oversight Committee, I am pleased 
to comply with this requirement.
  A September 2 letter from the Speaker of the House and Majority 
Leader to House Committee Chairs identifies some of the important 
legislative steps the Oversight Committee has taken to promote deficit 
reduction, fiscal responsibility, and government reform in the 111th 
Congress. The Oversight Committee and the House of Representatives 
passed the Government Efficiency, Effectiveness and Performance 
Improvement Act, H.R. 2142. As the letter acknowledges, the enhanced 
oversight provided by this legislation will significantly cut 
government waste. In addition, the Committee approved the Improper 
Payments Elimination and Reduction Act, H.R. 3393, which was also 
signed into law (as S. 1508) on July 22, 2010. The Office of Management 
and Budget recently reported that the federal government made an 
astonishing $98 billion in duplicate, erroneous, or undocumented 
payments in 2009. The Committee's and the Congress' efforts, in passing 
H.R. 3393 / S. 1508, will provide the government with the tools it 
needs to recover these overpayments for the American taxpayers and stop 
them from occurring in the first instance.

[[Page E1626]]

  In addition to these important reforms, the Oversight Committee is 
pursuing a broad-based approach to deficit reduction and budget 
savings. The Committee's actions include direct oversight of agencies 
to improve and address inefficient practices that would result in over 
$19.4 billion in budget savings. The Committee also has advanced 
legislative reforms to strengthen the internal watchdogs at government 
agencies, improve the investigative and auditing arm of Congress, 
empower federal workers to fight fraud and waste without fear of 
retaliation, improve government efficiency by facilitating the sale of 
surplus federal real property, and save hundreds of millions of tax 
dollars by expediting the transition of government-wide 
telecommunication services. These efforts are described below.


   Holding Agencies Accountable for the Implementation of Over $19.4 
                    billion in Cost Savings Reforms

       At the request of the Oversight Committee, Inspectors 
     General from across the government identified improvements 
     and efficiencies in government operations that would result 
     in over $19.4 billion in savings to the federal budget if 
     fully implemented. As the country begins to recover from the 
     economic crisis, the American public should have confidence 
     that agencies will be held accountable for taking any actions 
     necessary to recover such significant savings of their hard-
     earned tax dollars. The Oversight Committee will monitor 
     implementation of each of these IG recommendations. The 
     Committee will require agency heads to report back on the 
     steps they are taking to recoup these savings for the U.S. 
     taxpayers, to provide a timeline for the realization of these 
     savings, and detail any administrative or legislative action 
     needed to bring about these savings and efficiencies.


                     Strengthening the IG Community

       The Oversight Committee is also taking legislative action 
     to promote better and more efficient government. This 
     September, the Committee plans to bring legislation (H.R. 
     5815) to the floor of the House of Representatives that will 
     better equip Inspectors General to fulfill their statutory 
     mission of rooting out waste and fraud in the federal 
     government. The legislation complements and strengthens the 
     Committee's ongoing oversight efforts in this area. The 
     legislation will require corrective action by government 
     agencies to address IG cost saving recommendations. A 
     statutory mandate will remove the bureaucratic inertia and 
     barriers that too often slow or thwart agency efforts to 
     tackle inefficiencies that account for billions of dollars in 
     unnecessary spending every year. The legislation will also 
     provide IGs with the tools they need to conduct complete and 
     thorough investigations of waste, fraud, and abuse in 
     government contracting. Collectively, the reforms in H.R. 
     5815 will strengthen the authority of IGs so they can better 
     fulfill their important mission of fighting waste and 
     protecting the interests of the taxpayers.


                           Improving the GAO

       During this Congress, the House of Representatives passed 
     legislation (H.R. 2646) sponsored by the Oversight Committee 
     that will strengthen the authority and effectiveness of the 
     General Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO helps inform the 
     Congress, Executive agencies, and the public about areas and 
     programs within the federal government that are performing 
     well, and those that need to be improved or are vulnerable to 
     waste, fraud, and abuse. GAO audits provide reliable 
     assessments as to whether the taxpayers are receiving full 
     value from important government programs. H.R. 2646, which is 
     awaiting action in the Senate, will increase the 
     effectiveness of GAO by ensuring that GAO is not 
     unnecessarily restricted in its efforts to secure necessary 
     information in the course of performing its auditing and 
     investigative functions for the Congress.


     Empowering Federal Employees to Combat Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

       The Oversight Committee is committed to advancing H.R. 
     1507, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009, 
     and is currently negotiating with the Senate on this 
     essential reform. Similar legislation was passed as part of 
     the Recovery Act in the beginning of the Congress, but was 
     unfortunately stripped out in conference with the Senate. The 
     government should make every effort to ensure that tax 
     dollars are not misspent or vulnerable to waste, fraud, or 
     abuse. Federal employees at financial and other agencies 
     throughout the government are often the first to witness 
     abuses or illegality that presents a risk to the taxpayer. 
     They are in a position to call attention to waste in 
     government operations because they see what is happening 
     inside our government on a day-to-day basis. Providing strong 
     protections for those who disclose misconduct helps to 
     promote a more accountable and transparent federal 
     bureaucracy. Importantly, the legislation also extends strong 
     whistleblower protections to employees of government 
     contractors.


          Facilitating Savings through Sales of Real Property

       Last September, the Oversight Committee favorably reported 
     H.R. 2495, the Federal Real Property Disposal Act. This 
     legislation would encourage the sale of surplus federal real 
     property by allowing the General Services Administration to 
     use its funds to prepare unneeded properties to be reported 
     excess. It would also allow agencies to retain the proceeds 
     from the sale of surplus real property. These measures would 
     implement recommendations by GAO, which has stated in its 
     High-Risk Series that the funding needed to prepare property 
     for disposal and some agencies' inability to retain sale 
     proceeds have been longstanding barriers to the sale of 
     surplus property. The language of H.R. 2495 is being added to 
     S. 1510, the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division 
     Modernization Act, and the Oversight Committee is currently 
     negotiating with the Senate on final language for the bill.


   Saving Tax Dollars by Expediting the Telecommunications Transition

       The delay in transitioning government-wide 
     telecommunications services from the General Services 
     Administration's FTS2001 contract to Networx has resulted in 
     the loss of approximately $22 million a month. At the current 
     pace, those losses could total between $300 million and a 
     half-billion dollars in unrealized cost savings by May 2011. 
     The Oversight Committee held a hearing on this issue in May 
     2010 and will continue closely monitoring and working with 
     the General Services Administration, the Office of Management 
     and Budget, and individual Agencies to expedite the 
     transition to Networx. In addition, I am planning to 
     introduce legislation requiring agencies to complete the 
     transition to Networx before the current FTS2001 bridge and 
     crossover contracts expire in May 2011. If enacted, this 
     legislation would eliminate the need for the General Services 
     Administration to enter into any additional bridge contracts.
       I look forward to continuing to work with House leadership, 
     the other Committee Chairs, and the Members of this body as 
     we take steps to eliminate the deficit, and promote 
     government that best protects the interests of the U.S. 
     taxpayers.

                          ____________________