[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3407-3408]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           WASTEFUL SPENDING

  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, last month I came to the floor to launch 
what I call the ``Waste of the Week.'' We look at how we spend the 
taxpayers' dollars. We all know the biggest issue over the past several 
years is now sort of fading into the ether is the fact that the 
government continues to spend the taxpayers' money in reckless ways, 
including not balance our budget and go deeply into deficit spending 
every year, then borrow to cover the cost, and increase our debt limit 
from the staggering $18 trillion-plus and growing. My purpose in coming 
to the floor was to highlight some examples of this waste.
  I wish to step back for a moment to say this follows numerous 
bipartisan efforts to deal with a larger issue, and that is our debt 
and deficit, in a way that we can put a budget proposal together to get 
us out of this mess and stop loading up our children and grandchildren 
with the responsibilities and costs they probably will not be able to 
repay without significant sacrifice in terms of their standard of 
living.
  Having failed every one of those over the past 5 years--Simpson-
Bowles, the Gang of 6, the Committee of 12, the supercommittee, the 
dinner committee on which I served 7 arduous months trying to come to 
some minimal agreement in terms of how to deal with our debt and 
deficit because the President blocked every single attempt. I thought 
the least we could do was look at the simple things, the easy things. 
We started with--not such a small thing--duplication of efforts in 
terms of benefits that went to people that were actually illegal 
totaling $5.7 billion, the difference between Social Security 
disability and unemployment insurance.
  Last week I talked about duplication. There are 52 programs--through 
the Federal Government, through a number of agencies, to provide 
assistance on economic development. Do we need 52? Can't we consolidate 
some of these down to three or four? Why does every agency in the 
government have to duplicate what is being done in every other agency? 
We talked about the savings that would come from that.
  It is my understanding that the minority leader and the minority 
whip--No. 1 and 2 on the Democratic side--came down here and talked 
about the fact that in the budget we may be cutting funding for the 
National Institutes of Health and how tragic it would be if we took one 
penny away from them. I can give them a very simple example on the 
third week of Waste of the Week in terms of how they can save some 
money or better utilize some money through the National Institutes of 
Health.
  This is a study for which I have to give credit to my former Senate 
colleague, Dr. Tom Coburn. For years Dr.

[[Page 3408]]

Coburn highlighted examples of government waste, fraud, and abuse. He 
was a champion of transparency and made great strides in giving the 
American people a more accountable government.
  So I come here today to share one of Dr. Coburn's taxpayer issues he 
brought before the Senate, and I think it needs to be brought here now. 
How timely it is when I was just preceded unknowingly by those who came 
to the floor saying we can't take a penny out of NIH because it goes to 
critical research.
  I support NIH. I think it is an important agency. We need to do some 
of that research. But does NIH need to do this: Does NIH need to fund a 
study to determine the benefits of massage by using 18 white rabbits 
from New Zealand that receive 30-minute massages four times a day?
  According to co-medical director of the Ohio State University Sports 
Medical Center, ``We tried to mimic Swedish massage because 
anecdotally, it's the most popular technique used by athletes.''
  That study amounted to a cost of $387,000 of taxpayer money given in 
a grant. Why didn't they just ask the football team? Why didn't they 
just walk in the locker room and say: Hey guys, you have just been beat 
up for 60 minutes and you probably have a lot of aches and pains. A 
good hot shower and a massage--does that help?
  I think every one of us--we have all had aches and pains--understands 
that a massage helps relieve the soreness. Do we need to spend $387,000 
on a study and take 18 white rabbits and give them massages four times 
a day on taxpayer dollars to prove the point that massages actually 
work?
  So once again, while this is a small thing, we have to add to our 
chart showing that we continue to expend taxpayer money and waste 
taxpayer money on frivolous things that are not needed. You can point 
out every egregious agency spending.
  Until we are willing to have the political will to stand up and deal 
with the runaway entitlements, these discretionary programs will 
continue to be squeezed. Unfortunately, we have come to a roadblock 
under this Presidency in terms of any effort left to deal with the 
larger issue of runaway spending and runaway debt. This burden is being 
placed on the future of America and the children and grandchildren of 
Americans and that is generational theft, and it is irresponsible for 
this body to not take action.
  At the very least, can we not at least do the most simple of things 
in terms of eliminating waste of taxpayer dollars through duplication, 
and unnecessary studies?
  Eliminating waste like this will not change Washington's long-term 
fiscal picture, but it does point out that it is important to ensure 
that taxpayer funding of projects like this keep, like the Energizer 
bunny, going and going.
  I hate to say this, but sadly, after the project was over, the 18 New 
Zealand white rabbits were euthanized. It is my hope that in going 
forward, instead of killing rabbits, we can kill taxpayer-funded 
government waste like this project.
  I see my colleague from Arizona has come to the floor. I have just 
finished the latest ``Waste of the Week.'' We will be back next week 
with ``Waste of the Week'' No. 4.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I would like to thank my friend and 
colleague from Indiana for his ``Waste of the Week'' speech, although I 
wish it were the ``Waste of the Day'' event that we celebrate. But I 
wish to thank him for his steadfast and longstanding efforts at 
eliminating government waste and mismanagement. If we are going to 
convince the American people that we need to make significant 
sacrifices, we have to start with an efficient government that does not 
waste the taxpayers' dollars. So I thank my friend from Indiana.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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