[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 7, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H2447-H2448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MONEY FOR NOTHING

  (Mr. MESSER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MESSER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight more wasteful 
government spending.
  The Washington Post recently reported that the Federal Government 
will spend at least $890,000 on service fees for more than 13,000 empty 
bank accounts this year. Let me say that again. Our Federal Government 
will spend $890,000 servicing 13,000 empty bank accounts with a balance 
of zero.
  The President's OMB thinks that's good news because the number of 
these so-called zero balance accounts has decreased by 50 percent over 
the past several years. I think we can do better. We must close these 
empty bank accounts and put the money sitting in the inactive ones to 
good use, like reducing the deficit. I plan to introduce legislation 
soon that will do just that.
  Madam Speaker, President Reagan once noted how only in Washington

[[Page H2448]]

does it make sense for the agency responsible for everything outside to 
be called the Department of the Interior. I would add that only in 
Washington is it good news when the government spends $1 million on 
nothing.

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