CAGW’s Schatz Responds:  “Congress, Can You Spare A Dime?”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) begins a campaign directed at all taxpayers, asking them to sign a citizen’s demand that asks, “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?”  As comparisons with past economic disasters continue to resonate, CAGW has taken the “anthem of the Great Depression,” which was “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” and turned it into an easily recognized and understood message.  By joining the campaign, Americans will make it clear that they agree that Washington must act now to address the record national debt.  The campaign starts just before the November 23 deadline when the 12-member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) will officially and predictably fail to reach an agreement. 

“The U.S. government is facing a fiscal crisis due to huge spending increases,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “Federal outlays have grown by about 25 percent over the last several years, and the national debt has increased by more than $3 trillion since the beginning of the Obama administration.  The government is projected to be spending $44 trillion between 2013 and 2023, and the $15 trillion national debt now equals gross domestic product.  In such dire straits, any business or household could easily reduce spending by 10 cents on the dollar in order to avoid financial disaster.  Congress seems myopic about the grave consequences of inaction, the results of which are playing out graphically in countries such as Greece and Italy.” 

The “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime” citizen’s demand notes that the federal debt is growing by $2.8 million per minute, or $4 billion a day, and that gridlock in Washington is making it difficult to eliminate even the most obvious wasteful spending.  The appeal to cut 10 cents of every dollar should be supported by Americans from both sides of the aisle. 

The Super Committee is just the latest example of politics getting in the way of common sense in Washington.  There was never any reason to discuss raising taxes other than as part of a larger tax reform plan, but Super Committee member Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) made it clear that he and his Democratic colleagues were primarily concerned with making the rich pay more.  Class warfare may make headlines, but it is bad policy, especially when polls show that Americans believe that Washington wastes more than 50 percent of federal spending is wasteful.  Furthermore, President Obama again abdicated any leadership role by being a non-participant in the Super Committee talks, just as he did a year ago, when he failed to follow up on his own deficit reduction commission.  The budget charade that is drawing the country ever closer to a fiscal precipice is completely avoidable if only Congress would do its job and just spare a dime. 

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