(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today applauded Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels for his hard work and dedication to eliminating waste, fraud and abuse over the course of the last two and a half years.  Daniels, whose last day is Friday, June 6, announced his resignation in May in order to move back to his home state of Indiana.

“Mitch Daniels worked tirelessly, often facing an uphill battle, to break Washington of its pork barrel spending habits,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “Often at odds with top lawmakers, Daniels ended up representing the interests of taxpayers more than many elected officials.”

Known as the Blade, a nickname anointed to him by President Bush for his penchant to slash spending, Daniels has become famous for his thriftiness.  His most public disagreement with Capitol Hill came during the debate over the fiscal 2003 budget.  Daniels insisted that in order to cut spending, Congress needed to eliminate earmarks, the items in the budget designating money for unrequested, special projects, also known as pork.

“Director Daniels came to Washington wielding a big stick, and refused to back down from the powerful appropriators in Congress,” Schatz continued.  “In battle after battle, Daniels held his ground.  In the era of big government spending, Daniels brought a fresh new approach to the position of OMB Director.  With a corporate background, Daniels strived to achieve the same business approach to government—eliminate or improve that which was ineffective and keep what worked.”

Since his tenure as OMB Director began in January 2001, Daniels has overseen the preparation of three federal budgets.  He made these documents more user-friendly, and introduced the Performance and Management Assessment book that listed how federal programs were achieving their goals.  With Congress set to begin the appropriations process on the fiscal 2004 budget, Daniels decided it was time to return to Indiana to spend time with his wife and four daughters.

“Taxpayers should truly be grateful for the service that Mitch Daniels provided to this country,” Schatz concluded.  “We wish Mr. Daniels the best in whatever the future holds for him.”

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