Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced the bipartisan Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act, which would create a system to facilitate agency identification of wasteful programs and assist Congress with developing legislation to eliminate those programs. This bipartisan legislation marks one commonsense bipartisan solution to cut wasteful spending in the federal government. U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Mike Braun (R-IN), along with Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC-1), joined in the Act’s introduction.

“I authored the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act back in 2010 to cut down wasteful government spending. The Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act builds on that legislation to further protect taxpayer dollars,” said Congressman Cuellar. “I want to thank Senator Hassan, Senator Braun, and Congresswoman Mace for working with me to deliver common-sense, bipartisan solutions to reduce federal spending.”

“Cutting down on wasteful government spending is commonsense, and it’s why I helped bring together members in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle to introduce legislation to save taxpayer dollars,” Senator Hassan said. “I urge all of my colleagues to join us in supporting this bipartisan bill and work together to help address wasteful government spending.”

“America’s sky-high national debt is our Achilles’ heel, and stopping wasteful spending is the first step to resolving this issue. This bipartisan legislation aims to eliminate unnecessary programs to cut wasteful government spending and save taxpayer dollars,” said Senator Braun.

“Government is bloated and reckless with its spending. Waste is everywhere, which is why the bipartisan Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act brings common-sense solutions to fix this,” said Representative Mace. “This bicameral legislation respects the value of your dollar and makes Government accountable.”

"Unnecessary or duplicative programs hurt taxpayers by wasting limited tax dollars. They also hurt the individuals, businesses, and organizations that federal programs are supposed to help. National Taxpayers Union applauds Senators Hassan and Braun, and Representatives Cuellar and Mace, for their leadership in introducing the Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act. This good governance legislation would require federal agencies to work with Congress on eliminating or consolidating unnecessary or duplicative federal programs,” said Andrew Lautz, Director of Federal Policy at the National Taxpayers Union.

“The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is pleased to support the Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mike Braun (R-IN) and Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Nancy Mace (R-SC). This legislation is an important step towards identifying taxpayer-funded programs that are inefficient and duplicative. It’s time we practice fiscal responsibility and rein in wasteful spending; this bill is a great first step in doing exactly that,” said David Williams, President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA).   

“Reinventing government by streamlining programs so they work better for the American people has long been a priority of the Progressive Policy Institute. The Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act is a straightforward, common-sense idea to give Congress the tools it needs to spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently and simplify programs for the people they exist to serve. We urge lawmakers to pass this bipartisan bill and implement the ensuing recommendations,” said Ben Ritz, Director of Progressive Policy Institute Center for Funding America’s Future.

The bipartisan Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act is also endorsed by R Street Institute.

The bill would require the following steps to be taken:

• First, agencies identify wasteful or duplicative programs to potentially eliminate, based on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance,
• Next, agencies publish the list of programs in the federal program inventory and send the lists to Congress, and
• Agencies may then submit to Congress recommendations for legislation to eliminate or consolidate the programs identified.

Congressman Cuellar is a leader on issues of good governance and fiscal responsibility. In 2010, he introduced the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. The bill was signed into law after passing both the House and Senate by large, bipartisan margins. This groundbreaking legislation systematically holds federal agencies accountable for achieving results by requiring agencies to set goals, measure performance against those goals, and report publicly on progress.

For more information on the Identifying and Eliminating Wasteful Programs Act, including the bill’s text, click here.

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Congressman Henry Cuellar is a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. Previously, he served as a Texas State Representative and Texas Secretary of State.  Sign up to receive Congressman Cuellar’s E-mail Newsletters 
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Por favor tomen en cuenta el congresista Cuellar habla inglés y español con fluidez.