(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) applauded House Republican leaders for launching a new initiative to cut mandatory government spending by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal budget.  House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) included in the fiscal 2004 budget resolution instructions for each committee chairman to find at least one percent of savings in mandatory spending—about $10 billion—with a goal of promoting fiscal responsibility and balancing the budget.

“Representatives DeLay and Nussle should be commended for focusing the attention of Congress on wasteful government spending,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “The most overlooked issue in the current fiscal debate is the reckless amount of government outlays that continue to spiral upward.  It is the insatiable appetite of Congress for new spending that is to blame for the looming budget deficit.  It is long past due for members of Congress to address this issue.”

CCAGW has long advocated the reduction of waste in the federal budget as its primary mission.  Founded in 1984, CCAGW is the legacy of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, also known as the Grace Commission.  In 1982, President Reagan directed the Grace Commission to “work like tireless bloodhounds to root out government inefficiency and waste of tax dollars.”  For two years, 161 corporate executives and community leaders led an army of 2,000 volunteers on a waste hunt through the federal government. The search was funded entirely by voluntary contributions of $76 million from the private sector; it cost taxpayers nothing. The Grace Commission made 2,478 recommendations which, if implemented, would save $424.4 billion over three years, an average of $141.5 billion a year all without eliminating essential services.

“The call for a one percent reduction in mandatory spending is a step in the right direction,” Schatz continued.  “However, it is just the tip of the iceberg.  There are tens of billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse that can be eliminated, which will help the government become more efficient, and save taxpayers money.”

Citizens Against Government Waste annually publishes Prime Cuts, a list of recommended budget cuts, some from the original Grace Commission, that would save taxpayers $1.3 trillion over five years.  Examples include reducing funding for Medicaid administration ($15 billion over five years); indexing Medicare’s deductible for SMI services ($2.6 billion over five years); enhancing the food stamp work requirement ($15 billion over five years); and integrating the Military Retirement and Social Security systems ($274 million over five years).

“There are many steps members of Congress can take if they are serious about reducing waste in government,” Schatz concluded.  “Hopefully through the work of the House leadership on this issue, unnecessary spending can be eliminated and there will be a return to fiscal responsibility.”

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.