GOVERNMENT REFORM

The hour has come to extend accountability and fiscal soundness throughout the federal government. With the economy growing, Congress should be poised to return to a balanced budget and the budget surpluses of the late 1990's—but our success will be largely contingent upon how effective we are at eliminating federal waste, fraud, and abuse, which defraud taxpayers, undermine the government, and put an overall strain on the economy.

I am working to battle against a bureaucratic system that undermines the philosophy of limited government. The Washington bureaucracy's axiom of 'move the taxpayer dollars far from taxpayers and they will not see or care what happens with their money' must be challenged. Americans deserve better; they deserve an accounting of how their precious, hard-earned federal tax-dollars are being spent.

As the economy grows, Congress will have the opportunity to turn its attention inward to complete some unfinished business. Bureaucratic waste, fraud, and abuse need to be addressed by the Congress, and I have introduced legislation that would allow this.

This legislation—the Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies (CARFA) Act (S.1155) — has 25 Senate cosponsors, and the Senate has already expressed its support for the CARFA Act through the Budget Resolution. If enacted, CARFA would establish a two-year, presidentially-appointed commission to review domestic discretionary spending programs and agencies, recommending elimination or reform where waste, fraud, and abuse are found. Upon completion of its work, the commission would report back to Congress with draft legislation to implement its recommendations. Congress would subsequently be required to vote either up-or-down on the recommendations, thus eliminating the protection so often afforded to the undeserving bureaucracy.

If it chooses to enact CARFA, Congress will be taking a positive step to help ensure our future economic prosperity.