[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             MAKE CENTS Act

  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, there is really no way to sugarcoat it. 
Washington's budget process is broken. Every year, it is like 
clockwork. First, the President submits his budget, like we saw this 
past Monday. Then the House tears it up--no pun intended, really. They 
ultimately fail to pass their own budget, and then Congress kicks the 
can down the road before finally cramming through a budget-busting bill 
at the eleventh hour.
  There is no question this process is dysfunctional, but maybe, more 
importantly, its lack of transparency allows for wasteful spending to 
continue year after year--unchecked.
  Folks, this cycle has to end. We have to start chipping away at this 
ballooning debt, and we have to work toward cutting our government's 
most wasteful spending.
  One of the best ways to do this is to call it out when we see it. As 
some of you may know, every month, I give out my Squeal Award to call 
out the parts of our government that are wasting hard-working 
Americans' tax dollars. I highlight the most egregious waste found 
within the bowels of Washington, and then I put it forward and offer up 
a solution to stop it.
  Take, for example, what I like to call the binge buying bureaucrats. 
Every year at the end of September, the bureaucrats charge billions of 
dollars to taxpayers during Washington's annual use-it-or-lose-it 
spending spree. We have seen the compulsive buying include items like 
millions and millions of dollars of lobster and crab. We have even seen 
spending on games and toys or even on something like a $12,000 foosball 
table. Is that what we need in Washington, DC--foosball?
  I have also called out Washington's boondoggles that are just 
bottomless money pits for projects that never really even get off the 
ground. As for the contractors who are working on these boondoggles, 
the ones who are failing at their jobs, guess what--they are getting 
big, fat bonuses.
  A primary example of this egregious misuse of tax dollars is what I 
like to call the moondoggle. Right there. There you have it. Look at 
that--the moondoggle. I am talking about the rockets that are being 
developed for NASA's next Moon mission. This project is billions of 
dollars over budget and years--folks, not months but years--behind 
schedule due to poor performance. Yet NASA still handed out generous 
bonuses that totaled over $300 million to the contractor who is working 
on the project.
  Folks, it is absurd. This is absurd. We have to put an end to it, and 
thankfully I believe we might actually be on a path that will do that.
  Taxpayers should be encouraged that all of this ``squealing'' has 
finally been heard at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Both of 
these Squeal Award recipients--the binge buying bureaucrats and the 
infamous moondoggle--have been targeted by President Trump in his 
latest budget proposal.
  Within its pages, the President states that his administration is 
committed to stopping improper end-of-year spending and will begin 
closely scrutinizing how money is being spent at the end of the fiscal 
year to curtail waste. The President's budget also calls out the poor 
performance of the NASA contractor and proposes management improvements 
that would shave $300 million off the cost of the mission. This is 
encouraging, no doubt about it.
  In order to codify these efforts, I am putting forward a package of 
commonsense reforms to join the President in urging Congress to 
actually address Washington's spending addiction, get our budget 
process back on track, and ensure Iowans understand exactly how their 
hard-earned dollars are being spent.
  In order to force Congress to do its job and become a better steward 
of taxpayers' money, I have introduced the MAKE CENTS Act. This 
comprehensive package combines five simple ideas I have previously 
introduced.
  First off, it requires an annual report listing every government-
funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget or 5 years or 
more behind schedule.
  Second, it requires every project supported with Federal funds to 
include a pricetag that is easily available for taxpayers.
  Third, it eliminates use-it-or-lose-it impulse purchases by limiting 
an agency's spending in the last 2 months of the fiscal year to no more 
than the average spent in the other months.
  Fourth, it prohibits Congress from going on recess without passing a 
budget on time.
  Fifth and lastly, it prohibits Congress from getting paid without its 
passing a budget on time.
  Folks, these are not new or radical reforms. Many folks in the Senate 
and in the House have proposed various versions of these items, 
recognizing the serious problem we face. Like the bill title reads, 
these ideas just make sense. If hard-working Iowa families have to 
manage their budgets, we really should expect Washington to do the 
same. So let's get at it.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ROMNEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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