03 Oct Budget
Our national debt now exceeds $20 trillion. Increasing spending, while the Congressional Budget Office projects a shortfall in revenues, is not a path to fiscal responsibility. It is irresponsible to continue spending more than you earn.
Instead of increasing spending, I have offered my colleagues real solutions to reduce spending. As part of the most recent budget process, I pointed out to my colleagues that 22 government agencies made close to $125 billion in improper payments in 2014 and the IRS failed to collect at least $380 billion that same year. There is no reason to increase spending.
One way to reign in federal spending is through more oversight over federal agencies. To that end, I introduced HR 5499, the Agency Accountability Act, which would require agencies like DHS and t he CFPB to turn over all fines and fees collected to the U.S. Treasury, making them subject to appropriations. This prohibits agencies from spending money without transparency. The bill has received broad support:
FreedomWorks
http://www.freedomworks.org/content/end-federal-agencies-slush-funds
“This focused legislation will reign in federal bureaucrats and stop the murky practice of using fees from taxpayers to fund programs their representatives have not authorized.”
Americans for Tax Reform
https://www.atr.org/atr-supports-hr-5499-agency-accountability-act-aaa
“H.R. 5499 is a positive measure to increase Congressional oversight over the actions of federal agencies, thus improving the overall transparency and accountability of the federal government.”