Sens. Scott Brown, Collins, Lieberman Introduce Acquisitions Reform Bill
Press Release
oday, U.S. Senators Scott Brown (R-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) introduced the Acquisitions Savings and Reform Act, which would institute numerous reforms to the federal government's acquisition process and require a minimum of $1 billion in measurable savings over four years through Federal Strategic Sourcing Vehicles.
"One way for the federal government to address the overwhelming national debt is to simply follow the example of American families who stretch every dollar to make ends meet. When the federal government purchases goods and services, it must focus on getting the best possible price and make purchases in the most efficient manner," said Senator Brown. "This legislation reforms the government acquisition process to require more efficient, smarter purchasing, which simply means that taxpayers will get the best value for their money."
"In this time of tight budgets, it is more important than ever for federal agencies to find savings in the ways they procure goods and services," said Senator Collins. "This bill encourages the use of proven cost-saving approaches, including strategic sourcing and reverse auctions. In fact, the bill establishes a $1 billion target for government-wide savings through strategic sourcing alone. It is time for federal agencies to embrace the cost-saving strategies embodied in this bill."
"At a time of record deficits, when we are trying to get the most out of every dollar, this bill will encourage agencies to apply a number of cost-saving strategies to their procurement process to save the taxpayers' money," said Senator Lieberman. "It is a common sense bill that will help agencies think in terms of affordability rather than the best of all possible worlds so that they plan for the economy car that will get the job done, not the luxury sedan that would be nice to have."
BACKGROUND
As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Senator Brown has held numerous hearings and amassed a legislative track record on confronting the ongoing waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars:
Ending Earmarks In Washington: Senator Brown is opposed to earmarks, and is one of the only members of the Massachusetts delegation who has never sponsored them. Senator Brown believes that federal spending should be prioritized based on the merits of projects, not on the political influence of a particular member of Congress. In December 2010, Senator Brown opposed the Omnibus Appropriations bill because it was laden with thousands of earmarks and wasteful government spending, and he will continue to support reforms to the appropriations process that incentivize thoughtful stewardship of taxpayers' hard-earned money.
Increasing Transparency For Taxpayers: In order to help taxpayers understand where their money is being spent, Senator Brown has introduced the bipartisan Taxpayer Receipt Act with U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL). Brown and Nelson's bill would provide an itemized taxpayer receipt showing taxpayers where every dime of money paid to the Federal government is getting spent, and how much new debt we've put on the national credit card. The receipt would arrive when a taxpayer files their tax returns, on or before April 15th of each year.
Reading Bills And Understanding The Cost: Senator Brown believes all legislative matters should be made available to the public and fully scored by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) before a final Senate vote. Under current law, the Senate has to wait 48 hours before considering a bill that includes a committee report after a bill is reported out of committee. Senator Brown's bipartisan 48 Hour Spending Transparency Resolution would apply that 48 hour threshold (as well as the CBO score requirement) before any consideration of a legislative matter by a subcommittee or committee, or on the floor of the Senate.
Cutting Wasteful Government Spending: Senator Brown is a co-sponsor of the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act to give the President additional tools, such as a constitutional line-item veto procedure, to eliminate the kind of reckless spending that sticks taxpayers with the bill for congressional pork. This authority helped Congress and the President balance the budget in the past and it can again.
Unloading Expensive And Unnecessary Federal Real Estate Holdings: Senator Brown introduced the Civilian Property Realignment Act, which enjoys strong support from the White House and implements a deficit-reduction proposal from President Obama. Inspired by BRAC, it depoliticizes and streamlines the disposal of federal real property by establishing a Civilian Property Realignment Commission. By reducing the inventory of excess federal properties, the government will realize new revenue while reducing ongoing liabilities. Rep. Jeff Denham of California introduced a similar bill in the House. OMB estimates savings at $15 billion over three years.
Terminating The Costly MEADS Missile System: The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) is a decade behind schedule, seriously over-budget, and will require billions more in funding to reach production. Senator Brown held an oversight hearing in March examining the taxpayer dollars wasted due to MEADS's cost overruns and schedule delays. He followed up on the hearing with legislation, co-sponsoring an amendment during consideration of the FY2012 NDAA that would terminate MEADS. Terminating MEADS now will save $804 million.
Eliminating Waste, Fraud, Abuse In Federal Agencies And Programs: For too long, federal agencies and programs have been immune from accountability and oversight. For example, recent Congressional testimony estimates that $60 billion -- or approximately thirteen percent -- of our nation's Medicare spending is at risk of fraud. The Social Security program is also not immune. In fiscal year 2008, the Social Security Administration (SSA) made overpayments in the Social Security Income (SSI) program alone that totaled $ 4.6 billion. As the ranking member of the Federal Financial Management (FFM) Subcommittee, Senator Brown has held numerous hearings on the Social Security Program, the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, and federal agencies to root out the problems within these programs and ensure they are operating efficiently.
Reducing Waste, fraud, and Abuse In Medicare And Medicaid: Introduced by Senator Tom Carper and cosponsored by Senator Brown, the bipartisan Medicare and Medicaid Fighting Fraud and Abuse to Save Taxpayers' Dollars Act (FAST Act) provides vital tools to protect our taxpayers from fraud and abuse. By tackling these unnecessary costs, our federal medical programs will save billions.
Requiring First-Ever Clean Audit For the Dept. Of Homeland Security: DHS is one of only two major departments that have not obtained an unqualified ("clean") audit. Senator Brown introduced the bipartisan DHS Audit Requirement Act (DART Act) with Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) to require DHS to meet date-specific milestones as they make progress towards a required clean audit in 2016.
Seeking Better, More Competitive Prices For Taxpayer Funded Purchases: Senator Brown is the lead sponsor of the bipartisan Acquisitions Savings and Reform Act -- comprehensive legislation that will potentially save billions by streamlining the way the federal government purchases goods and services.
Tackling The Federal Government's Improper Payment Problem: In fiscal year 2010, the federal government made an estimated $125 billion in improper payments. The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act, offered by Senator Carper and cosponsored by Senator Brown, takes proactive steps to further control this unnecessary federal expense.
Putting The Brakes On The Broken Dollar Coin Program's Runaway Waste: Senator Brown's bipartisan Currency Efficiency Act, supported by original co-sponsor Senator John Kerry (D-MA), ends the massive over-production of unwanted $1 coins. This reform will make further production of the dollar coins dependent on demand for them, potentially saving the taxpayer billions in the long run.
Taxpayer Hero Award: Senator Brown was named a "Taxpayer Hero" by the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste for maintaining a record of fiscal responsibility and fighting the waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars in 2010. Senator Brown is the only member of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to earn "Taxpayer Hero" status.
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