Citizens Against Government Waste Submits Recommendations for President Trump’s Nickel Plan
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Curtis Kalin 202-467-5318
November 1, 2018
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) sent letters to 16 federal departments and agencies detailing potential spending cuts that could be made in furtherance of President Trump’s “nickel plan” for an across the board 5 percent budget cut, which he announced on October 17, 2018.
The letters were sent to the following departments:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Energy
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Justice
- Department of Labor
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Department of State
- Department of Transportation
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Veterans Affairs
The letters read, in part:
“During a meeting on October 17, 2018, President Trump directed you and other members of his Cabinet to cut their department budgets by 5 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2020. With a national debt of more than $21 trillion and the budget deficit soaring to its highest level since 2012, President Trump’s initiative will help to improve fiscal responsibility.
“Since 1993, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has annually published Prime Cuts, a comprehensive account of options the federal government possesses to reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. The 2018 edition has 636 recommendations that would save $429.8 billion in the first year and $3.1 trillion over five years. Since CAGW was established in 1984 following the release of the Grace Commission report under President Reagan, the implementation of recommendations similar to those in Prime Cuts has helped save taxpayers $1.8 trillion.
“I urge you to consider the following recommendations for President Trump’s 5 percent spending cut directive that are included in Prime Cuts 2018, as well as proposed in whole or in part in the President’s Major Savings and Reforms for FYs 2018 and 2019.”
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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