(Washington, D.C.) – Today, at the beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2021, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released Prime Cuts 2020, 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 2020 are $444.3 billion in the first year and $4 trillion over five years.
• There are 593 recommendations from bipartisan and nonpartisan sources, including the Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the budgets of President Trump and former President Obama. 
• Since CAGW’s inception in 1984, implementation of the group’s recommendations has helped to save taxpayers more than $1.9 trillion.

Prime Cuts 2020 includes the following recommendations:

• 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 earmarks for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, saving $10.5 billion over five years.  The F-35 is currently $195 billion over budget, nine years behind schedule, and on pace to become the most expensive weapon system in history, with an estimated lifetime cost of $1.7 trillion.
• 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 2021 budget proposed eliminating the program altogether, saving $17.1 billion over five years.
• Eliminate the sugar, dairy, and peanut programs, which would collectively save $6.9 billion over five years. 
• Sell excess federal property and reform leasing practices, saving $15 billion over five years. 
• Reduce Medicare improper payments by 50 percent, which would save $18.1 billion over five years.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement:

“The fiscal status of the United States is shameful and chilling.  The national debt has reached a catastrophic $26.8 trillion and will grow at a record pace over the next decade.  The only way to rein in excessive and inefficient government spending is for elected officials to reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.  Prime Cuts 2020 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 the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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