CAGW REACTS TO OBAMA’S SOTU ADDRESS

(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today issued a statement reacting to President Obama’s State of the Union Address. 

CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “We are pleased with the President’s commitment to veto bills containing earmarks, something our organization has championed for 22 years.  Regrettably, a White House factsheet has already indicated that bills with ‘special interest’ earmarks will be vetoed, potentially leaving the determination of ‘special’ or ‘national’ interest up to the President.  We hope Obama treats all earmarks as equally unjustified.  Taxpayers stand to save $8.6 billion this year if he stays true to his word.”  

“Unfortunately, the President fell well short on assuring taxpayers that his policies will cut the trillion dollar budget deficit and $14 trillion national debt.  In the first 35 minutes of Obama’s speech he talked about the programs that he wants to create, when he should have talked about which should be cut.  President Obama proposed spending on biomedical research, information technology, clean energy technology, high-speed rail, and broadband, programs best left to state government and the private sector to fund.  All of these came as preamble to his commitment to cutting wasteful spending, rendering it an afterthought by comparison.

“Disappointingly, President Obama said he will cap, rather than cut, non-defense discretionary spending for five years.  Such spending has increased by 23 percent since 2008, and the national debt has increased by $3 trillion over the last two years.  The status quo is insufficient.  Pledging to cap spending at current inflated levels is like Octomom pledging not to have any more children,” Schatz concluded.

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

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