(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today expressed gratitude for the list of reforms offered by the House Blue Dog Democrats to restore some fiscal discipline to the federal government.

“I’m pleased there seems to be a mounting consensus on Capitol Hill that spending is out of control and something must be done,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “The Blue Dogs have provided 12 ideas to bring more order to the budget process.  Most are proposals that CAGW has supported in the past and continues to support today.”

The Blue Dog’s 12-point Reform Plan for Restoring Fiscal Sanity includes the following commonsense ideas:  a balanced budget amendment; holding increases in spending for the next three fiscal years to 2.1 percent; requiring all federal agencies to audit their books; requiring a roll call vote on all bills that cost more than $50 million and whenever Congress raises the debt ceiling; setting money aside for clearly defined emergencies; allowing three-day deliberation periods before voting on a bill, giving members time to analyze its contents; honest CBO estimates; and improved Congressional oversight.

“The Blue Dog list is a good start, but there are two proposals with which we disagree,” stated Schatz.  “One is PAY-GO, where we believe spending should be offset with cuts, not more revenue.  The problem is spending, not tax cuts.  Taxpayers already send enough money to Washington.  Congress needs to set priorities, hold the line on spending and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.  Allowing an increased revenue stream is simply a loophole that will enable Congress to continue to spend.  By the same token, we would also need to be assured that any Constitutional amendment to balance the budget would include a tax-limitation clause.”

Last year, the House was given the opportunity to vote on the Spending Control Act of 2004 (H.R. 4663) that included statutory caps on discretionary spending and instituted PAY-GO rules that required any mandatory spending increases to be offset.  Not one Democrat voted for the bill and 72 Republicans voted against it. 

“It is our hope that the Blue Dog’s proposal to improve the budget process is a change for the better on Capitol Hill.  If it is accompanied by a genuine commitment to vote for serious reforms, we welcome it,” concluded Schatz.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.