Finding Government Waste, Fraud and Abuse
Our 40th President, Ronald Reagan, once observed that the nearest thing to eternal life that we will ever see is a government program. What Reagan knew was that it is much more difficult to end a government program than it is to start one. It often appears that there is a government program for every problem, whether it is real or imagined.
Some in Washington seem to believe that government money is free money. Unfortunately, that is not the case; government programs are paid for by you and me. While there are worthwhile government programs, I believe that there are many that have outlived their usefulness.
In fact, the Government Accountability Office has identified 80 programs in four different federal agencies, all charged with helping entrepreneurs. These duplicative programs cost American taxpayers $6.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2010.
The entrepreneurial development programs provided by the Small Business Administration play an integral role in helping to grow and educate small business owners. However, many of these programs could be streamlined to save billions in taxpayer dollars—while still remaining just as effective and resourceful. There are also many private sector programs— costing zero taxpayer dollars— that could be utilized while reducing costly government programs.
Every federal agency must be thoroughly examined for duplicative and wasteful programs that can be eliminated to save taxpayer dollars and get our nation out of the red., Ending outdated and unnecessary government programs is just one way to save your money. I look forward to continuing to root out waste, fraud and abuse wherever it exists.
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Sincerely,
