Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace) for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, bipartisan legislation that would require the public disclosure of every taxpayer-funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget or 5 years or more behind schedule.

This disclosure would include an explanation for the delays and added costs as well as the identification of the contractors.

In Congress, we are entrusted to be stewards of taxpayer dollars. In an example of protracted government-funded projects, the Department of Veterans Affairs had fumbled replacing its decades-old electronic health records system. An assessment found that the 2018 initial cost projection of $10 billion over 10 years soon ballooned to $50.8 billion over 28 years.

Government-funded projects that are excessively costly and delayed must be held to account. The bill will increase transparency over these projects to ensure we aren't wasting billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Iowa Senator Joni Ernst for championing this act in the Senate. I urge my colleagues to support and get the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act to the President's desk.

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