Targeting Waste, Fraud and Abuse
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
January 21, 2009

Just a few days into the 111th Congress, I’m pleased to report that the House of Representatives has already taken an important step in making government more effective and cost-efficient. On January 14th, the House unanimously passed H.Res. 40, a bill that will ensure greater oversight of how taxpayer money is being spent – and will help the federal government cut the fat off its operating budgets. Specifically, H. Res. 40 requires each standing committee to hold at least three hearings a year on the topic of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in the agencies under its jurisdiction. The legislation requires further hearings if it is determined that an agency’s books are not in order or if an agency is listed as “high risk” for waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement.

I was a strong supporter of this bill, and am pleased to see it pass so quickly. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to oversee programs run by federal agencies and guard taxpayer dollars closely based on the need and effectiveness of government programs. For several years, Congress has not lived up to this responsibility and Americans have come to expect waste, fraud and abuse at the very agencies charged with improving our communities, strengthening our economy and keeping our country safe. Although our government has continued to grow larger with each passing year, we haven’t policed ourselves well enough to ensure that money is spent wisely.

Eliminating waste and demanding accountability in federal spending should be common sense, but it has been a longstanding priority of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition. As a co-chair of this coalition, I pleased that we were able to take an important step forward, but this is just the beginning in restoring the accountability taxpayers expect and deserve from their government. We must have a sustained and determined commitment to fiscal responsibility as we make the hard choices necessary to get spending under control and ensure effective stewardship of taxpayer dollars

To be sure, there is plenty of blame to go around when it comes to the sources of waste in our federal government, including legislators from both sides of the aisle and every corner of the country, bureaucrats and Administration officials. Not as abundant, however, are solutions for paring down this waste and individuals who insist that we make the tough decisions necessary to keep our government in check, despite the political risks involved in making such demands. Given the dire condition of our economy, we cannot afford to allow this careless approach to management to continue. Even in less perilous economic times, it is irresponsible to allow the levels of waste we have become accustomed to expect from the federal government. Now, more than ever, we need to live within our means.