As a federal commission continues to debate recommendations
for addressing future federal deficits, a new study released by the U.S. Public
Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU)
provides the panel with a great place to start: more than $600 billion of
spending cuts with appeal across the political spectrum.
While the two groups have widely divergent views on many tax and fiscal issues, they have joined forces to identify federal programs that they believe that both Republican and Democratic lawmakers should recognize as wasteful and inefficient uses of taxpayer dollars.
Common ground
The U.S. PIRG and NTU study identifies 30 recommended cuts in federal
spending, including:
- $62 billion in savings by eliminating wasteful subsidies to farmers and large corporations.
- $354 billion in savings from reforming inefficient contract and acquisition procedures.
- $77 billion in savings by improving execution of existing government programs as well as eliminating unneeded programs.
- $108 billion in savings from ending low-priority or unnecessary weapons systems, along with rightsizing other programs.
Specifics needed
"This election season has been dominated by talk about the
deficit, but we haven't heard enough about specific solutions," said Nicole
Tichon, Tax and Budget Reform Analyst for U.S. PIRG. "While these measures
won't fix the problem on their own, they are a solid first step for any
legislator who is serious about a more responsible and efficient government."
Andrew Moylan, the report's co-author from the National
Taxpayers Union, points out that, "Taxpayers are incensed by wasteful spending
in Washington, and it is clear that we can no longer afford as a nation to put
off difficult decisions about getting back to balance. We hope this report will
bridge the ideological divide and serve as a basis for that debate."
The organizations are sending their findings to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which is currently in the process of drawing up its final recommendations to Congress for balancing the budget and strengthening the government's long-term financial health.
