Making Government Leaner

Statement

A candidate vying to be president of the United States once said: "For three long years I have been going up and down this country preaching that government -- federal, state and local -- costs too much….we must abolish useless offices. We must eliminate unnecessary functions of government. We must consolidate subdivisions of government and, like the private citizens, give up luxuries which we can no longer afford."

You'll likely be surprised to know that that man was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the year was 1932. But you'll probably agree that the prescription he offered remains the same even today. It seems that every week there's a new story of wasteful spending, unethical behavior, or abuse of power on the part of the federal government.

One of the ways House Republicans have been working to address these activities is by passing legislation that removes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from enforcing any part of Obamacare, requires Congressional approval of regulations that cost more than $100 million, and prohibits agencies from wasting taxpayer funds on excessive and lavish conferences.

These and other bills were passed recently during the House's "Stop Government Abuse" Week. They are part of Congress's effort to clamp down on an out-of-control executive branch.

Additionally, the federal government simply has too many duplicative and inefficient programs. That's why I have introduced legislation called the IMAGE Act, to force federal agencies to eliminate and consolidate these initiatives.

Just like 80 years ago, the time is ripe for the federal government to abolish useless offices, eliminate unnecessary functions, consolidate subdivisions, and give up luxuries it can no longer afford.

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