Reducing our Debt and Deficit
I like to say that everything I do, I know I can do better, and that’s a mantra that certainly should apply to the federal government.
In a time of deficits as far as the eye can see, we have to make a fundamental shift from a “culture of spendthrift,” wherein the federal government spends freely without careful thought, to a “culture of thrift,” whereby we use taxpayer money prudently and to the greatest effect. In short, during difficult financial times federal agencies need to do more with less.
During my Senate career, I’ve authored legislation that would crack down on Medicare waste and fraud, force agencies to reduce the billions of dollars wasted annually on bad contracts and foolish projects, provide Congress and federal agency managers the tools they need to end federal programs that don’t work, and give the president the ability to root out unnecessary earmarks designed to help out members of Congress at the expense of the U.S. Treasury.
None of these is a silver bullet that will solve our nation’s debt problems, but together, they will help us cut wasteful spending without sacrificing necessary investments.