(Washington, D.C.) – Today, at the beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2020, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released Prime Cuts 2019, the latest edition of the group’s comprehensive recommendations to eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government. 

Here are the facts:

• Prime Cuts has been published annually since 1993 and addresses every area of government spending. 
• Total savings from Prime Cuts 2019 are $433.8 billion in the first year and $3.9 trillion over five years.
• There are 620 recommendations from bipartisan and nonpartisan sources, including the Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office, President Trump’s budgets, and former President Obama’s budgets. 
• Since CAGW’s inception in 1984, implementation of the group’s recommendations has helped to save taxpayers more than $1.8 trillion.  

Prime Cuts 2019 asks legislators to:

• Eliminate the Market Access Program (MAP), a corporate welfare program that funnels taxpayer dollars to large, profitable corporations and trade associations, saving $870 million over five years.
• Eliminate congressional add-ons for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, saving $8.9 billion over five years.  The F-35 is currently $195 billion over budget and on pace to become the most expensive weapon system in history, with an estimated lifetime cost of $1.2 trillion for operation and maintenance.
• Eliminate Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs).  Former President Obama recommended reducing funding for CDBGs because “outcomes are difficult to measure and evaluate,” and President Trump’s FY 2019 budget proposed eliminating the program altogether, saving $3 billion in one year.
• Eliminate the sugar, dairy, and peanut programs, which would collectively save $1.65 billion in one year. 
• Sell excess federal property and reform leasing practices, saving $15 billion over five years. 
• Reduce Medicare improper payments by 50 percent and increase the use of software asset management tools, which would save billions of dollars.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement:

“The fiscal status of the United States is shameful and chilling.  The only way to rein in excessive and inefficient government spending is for elected officials to reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.  Prime Cuts 2019 is not only required reading for taxpayers, the media, and legislators, it is also a roadmap for the bold action needed to restore fiscal sanity and help prevent a financial disaster.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  

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