Dear Mr. Newman : I am writing to update you on an issue about which we have corresponded in the past, regarding wasteful government spending. I appreciate the opportunity to provide you with an update. During my time in Congress, I have repeatedly opposed and voted against the misuse and wasteful spending of your tax dollars. If families across Florida have to tighten their belts, Washington must do the same. Taxpayers nationwide stand to save $67 billion if recommendations from nonpartisan Inspector Generals that are currently open and unimplemented are performed. Ignoring runaway deficits and out-of-control spending is not an option. This week, the House of Representatives made great strides in order to put our nation back on a responsible fiscal and economic path. The House passed a series of legislative items during its Stop Government Abuse week that focused on cutting red tape and preventing waste, reining in government overreach, increasing transparency and protecting taxpayers. The countrys current climate of lethargic job growth, escalating health care costs, and reckless government spending is not what hardworking Americans deserve. Recently we passed legislation to begin to right the ship. H.R. 1423, the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act, will require the head of each federal agency, on an annual basis, to: •identify and describe every program administered by such agency; •determine the total administrative costs and expenditures for services for each program; •estimate the number of clients served by each program and the beneficiaries who received assistance under each program; •estimate the number of full-time federal and contract employees who administer each program; and •identify federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds. H.R. 1211, the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2013 amends the Freedom of Information Act to require federal agencies to make public information disclosed under the Act available in an electronic, publicly accessible format. The bill also requires the Office of Management and Budget to provide a single, free website for submitting requests for records and receiving automated information about the status of a request, as well as including a three-year pilot program to review the benefits of the new website. H.R. 1232, Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, will overhaul the procurement management process for government products and services to help address waste and duplication within government agencies. This bill adopted best practices from the private sector in order to efficiently reform a careless system. H.R. 1123, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, actively protects consumer choice by allowing individuals to unlock their personally owned cell phones without approval from their carrier. H.R. 2530, the Taxpayer Transparency & Efficient Audit Act, requires the Internal Revenue Service to notify individuals when their information has been shared with other government agencies, and places reasonable time limits on IRS audits. These are just a few pieces of legislation the House of Representatives passed to protect our economy from the red tape that is holding back our private sector and making job creation difficult. Congress cannot eliminate duplicative and wasteful programs and provide its constitutionally mandated oversight functions until federal agencies properly report all they do. My colleagues and I are focused on getting Washington out of the way - whether at the doctors office or in the job market – to build an America that works. I will continue to work to put the nation on a fiscally sustainable path – one towards a balanced budget and robust job growth. As a resident of Floridas Twelfth District, your comments and opinions are an important source of information to help me carry out my duties as your federal representative. In that regard, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future on any issue important to you. Also, if you would like to be informed more frequently about my work in Congress and in Floridas Twelfth Congressional District, please visit my website at bilirakis.house.gov to sign up for regular email or to send me a message. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Sincerely yours, Gus M. Bilirakis Member of Congress
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 01:48:53 +0000
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