The month of March has begun with renewed promise.

Thanks to the leadership of House conservatives, the Congress accomplished a rare feat last week—it actually cut spending.   While the cuts included in the resolution funding the federal government for the next two weeks were not nearly enough (only $4 billion), I am pleased it took this important baby step.

Equally important and remarkably for the first time, the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued its first annual review of duplicative federal programs last week (click here to view).  The report offers a scathing indictment of Washington’s mismanagement of our tax dollars, identifying hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful, duplicative programs.  It also gives anyone serious about the nation’s future a roadmap for immediate spending cuts.  Among its many findings:

• There are 80 economic development programs at 4 different agencies.

• The federal government has 5 departments, 8 agencies, and more than 24 presidential appointees overseeing bioterrorism programs.  Yet, according to the auditors, “the United States lacks the technical and operational capabilities required for an adequate response (to bioterror attack).”

• Most ironically, GAO found that the federal government has 20 agencies operating 56 financial literacy programs.  GAO was unable to determine their total cost to taxpayers.

We have a lot of work left to avoid fiscal collapse.  As I have reported to you before, the federal government is borrowing $3 billion a day to stay afloat.  40 cents of every dollar spent by the federal government is now borrowed.  This cannot last.

Yet the events of last week offer Washington a lesson, if it is paying attention.  Contrary to popular belief on Capitol Hill, spending cuts can happen.  Also, with the release of the GAO report, any doubt regarding the depth of federal mismanagement has been lost.

The choice is now ours: we can either make the hard, but necessary spending cuts today that will give our children a fighting chance, or we can sit back as we have done, and let other nations who own our debt make the choices for us.  It really is that simple and that stark.

As Congress moves to debate funding the government for the remainder of the year, and as the debt limit increase debate looms, I am hopeful the lessons of the last week will not be lost in Washington.

Sincerely,

Tom A. Coburn, MD

IN THE NEWS

The Hill: Republican Senators vow to hold up bills that contain new spending, programs

Sens. Coburn & McCaskill File Bill That Would Collect Unpaid Taxes From Federal Employees

In 2009, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) found nearly 100,000 civilian federal employees were delinquent on their federal income taxes, owing over $1 billion in unpaid federal income taxes.  When considering retirees and military, more than 282,000 federal employees owed $3.3 billion in taxes.
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