[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1630-E1631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID R. OBEY

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2010

  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, it is the highest priority of the 
Appropriations Committee to ensure that the American people are well 
served by sound investments in federal programs and services. To this 
end, the Committee has been working to produce fiscal year 2011 
appropriations legislation in a fiscally disciplined manner. The 
Committee conducted more than 160 hearings this year in order to 
thoroughly review the President's fiscal year 2011 budget request and 
to conduct vigorous oversight of ongoing programs.
  In keeping with an overall discretionary funding level of $14.5 
billion below the President's request, two fiscal year 2011 
appropriations bills have passed the House and the remaining 10 bills 
have been approved at the

[[Page E1631]]

subcommittee level. In the coming weeks, the Committee will continue 
its work to produce fiscal year 2011 appropriations that meet 
Americans' highest priority needs within this fiscally responsible 
framework.
  In the two fiscal year 2011 appropriations bills that have passed the 
House thus far--Transportation/HUD and Military Construction/VA--the 
Committee has made some significant cuts below the Administration's 
request. Among these reductions, the Committee cut $500 million below 
last year and $1.36 billion below the request for ill-defined or 
duplicative programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
and the Department of Transportation. The Committee also cut $545 
million below the request for military construction projects due to bid 
savings and ill-defined plans for the realignment of forces to Guam.
  In recent years, the Appropriations Committee has also eliminated or 
cut hundreds of wasteful and duplicative programs. Last year alone, the 
Committee terminated 60 programs and significantly cut funding for 
another 660 programs.
  Since 2007, the Appropriations Committee has strengthened contract 
oversight and independent audits to make programs across federal 
agencies more effective and efficient. As an example, the Committee has 
led an initiative to double enforcement capacity to end improper 
payments, fraud and other abuses at the Social Security Administration 
and the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. These 
efforts are projected to save more than $48 billion over the next 10 
years.
  Furthermore, the Appropriations Committee has ended unnecessary no-
bid contracts and strengthened competition, management and oversight in 
government contracts across the federal government.
  Most notably, the Committee has worked to impose discipline and 
strengthen accountability for Department of Defense, (DOD), contracted 
services. From 1997 to 2007, DOD contracted service costs grew 143 
percent from $125 billion to $299 billion. Yet, DOD had no system of 
accountability for contract services, and couldn't even identify the 
number of its contractors. At the Committee's direction over the past 
three years, the Pentagon is now implementing reform efforts to 
strengthen contracting and clarify rules prescribing when outsourcing 
is and is not appropriate. The Army can now identify the number of its 
contractors (213,000) and is working to bring in house inherently 
governmental functions. The Defense Department estimates that these 
actions will result in a $4.5 billion savings by 2015. Last year, the 
President followed the Appropriations Committee's lead and announced 
government-wide contracting reforms based on the Committee's direction 
to DOD over the past 3 years.

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