[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1379-1380]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           WASTEFUL SPENDING

  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, this is the first week of February, and a 
new month brings a new ``Waste of the Week'' speech from the Senator 
from Indiana. In preparing for this, we learned another disturbing fact 
about our economy, and that is that the United States has hit yet 
another new mark. Our national debt now exceeds $19 trillion.
  It wasn't that long ago that I was standing on this floor and talking 
about the fact that we are approaching $11 trillion of debt, and in 
just a few years that has accelerated in a most dramatic way. Now it 
has reached $19 trillion. Obviously, it is having and it is going to 
have a significant impact on the future of this country and our 
economic growth. In fact, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said that our 
Nation's gross domestic product--the measure of our Nation's economic 
activity--grew a very anemic 0.7 percent in the last quarter of 2015. 
We simply cannot sustain our economy and grow and provide economic 
opportunity for Americans and jobs for Americans at a growth rate of 
0.7 percent. In fact, the growth rate on the average is now about 2 
percent. We can't even keep our heads above water in terms of providing 
employment opportunities for people if we don't grow at a much faster 
pace, particularly following one of deepest and most damaging 
recessions we have ever had.
  Clearly there are issues that need to be addressed, issues that need 
to be talked about, and actions that need to be taken that put us on a 
better path to growth. Not having come up with the ability to address 
our long-term debt in any kind of a macro sense after many 
opportunities over the years and many efforts--some of them bipartisan 
and all of them denied by the President of the United States in terms 
of going forward for ``political reasons''--I have shifted my talk to, 
say, at least let's try to stop spending money that falls in the 
category of waste, fraud, and abuse.
  I have documented over the last year or so well over $130 billion of 
documented waste, fraud, and abuse. This isn't just conjuring up some 
story or picking up stories out of a newspaper; these are documented 
examples by independent agencies of the Federal Government that examine 
our spending and come up with ways in which they can point out that the 
spending is not necessary and that these funds can be used for much 
better purposes, the best purpose of which would be to not increase our 
national debt in paying for waste and not demanding ever-more tax 
increases from our constituents to help pay for waste.
  This week I am going to highlight something that wastes taxpayers' 
money and literally wastes space, warehouse space. The Department of 
Homeland Security owns or leases a number of warehouses around the 
country. They need this because they need to have in place the 
equipment that is necessary to address a disaster. Whether it is a 
natural or manmade disaster or whether it is a terrorist attack--for 
whatever reason, they need a number of these warehouses. They either 
buy or lease these warehouses to store this equipment that is needed 
for emergency situations.
  In 2013 the Department of Homeland Security spent $60 million to own 
or lease a total of 1,628 warehouses that, when added together, occupy 
6.3 million square feet. That is a lot of leased space. That is a lot 
of space to own or lease to store equipment. That is the size of 110 
football fields.
  No one is questioning the need to be prepared for disasters or the 
need for warehouse space in different locations around the country, 
but, as is the case with so many government agencies, in the use of 
taxpayer dollars, we need to oversee and make sure the money is being 
spent in an efficient and effective way.
  Thank goodness for these inspectors general. Without them, we would 
not be able to determine and find out what is going on at these various 
agencies regarding the handling of taxpayer money.
  The latest report from the DHS inspector general said that there are 
some warehouses that are ripe for elimination, which would save 
taxpayers about $9.7 million over a 10-year period of time. The 
inspector general said that the first of these buildings holds 
primarily a bunch of broken chairs--unused furniture. It is storage 
space for paperwork that is no longer necessary--and indicated that the 
DHS leases this warehouse in Northern Virginia for $934,000 a year. I 
wish I owned that warehouse. I would be prohibited under the ethics 
code from doing that, but that is a pretty good deal. You build a 
warehouse and you lease it to DHS and charge them $934,000 a year, and 
it is filled with equipment that is either broken or needs to be thrown 
out. In a macro sense, it kind of reminds me of my garage. I started 
thinking, well, there is a bunch of broken stuff in there sitting 
around on a shelf. Why don't I just get rid of it? Then I would have 
the space to store something that is needed.
  I guess what the Inspector General is saying is, look, this stuff 
looks like a bunch of broken chairs and stuff we don't need, so why 
don't we get rid of it and save the taxpayers some money? Over the next 
decade, this could save the taxpayers a lot of money.
  Let me show another picture. DHS also leases a 6,500-square-foot 
warehouse in Northern California. That is only $74,000 of taxpayers' 
money on an annual basis. The warehouse is virtually empty. Maybe they 
have a plan to put something in there, but it is sitting there empty, 
and it is costing the taxpayers $74,000.
  The IG said: There are some old computers there which we don't use 
anymore. We bought new ones. There is a lot of broken equipment in 
there. There is old office furniture, and there are some books.
  Again, it sounds a little bit like my garage on a macro basis. Why do 
we pay over $70,000 to lease this warehouse when that is what it 
contains? I mean, let's throw it out.
  These are just a few of the items the IG found. Clearly, though, it 
is an example of an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars, and it can add 
up to some significant numbers. Those numbers, as I have been posting 
here over the last year or so, are now totaling $130,146,746,016. It is 
a waste of a lot of money, and it is a waste that needn't take place.
  I am going to keep coming down here week after week highlighting to 
my colleagues that we can do a better job of oversight, we can do a 
better job of running this government, and we can do a better job for 
the taxpayers, who are working hard to earn money that is taxed by 
Uncle Sam. Some of it is wasted or spent through fraud or abuse.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

[[Page 1380]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COONS. 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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