“Blueprint is a step towards reducing government waste,” says Schatz

(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today commended House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) for championing a fiscal 2004 budget resolution that will curb spending, balance the budget, promote President Bush’s tax cuts, and protect America.

“This budget resolution will strengthen the economy and protect taxpayers,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “Faced with rising deficits for years to come, Chairman Nussle has outlined a plan to rescue federal finances in a fiscally responsible manner.”

The 10-year resolution includes nearly all of President Bush’s $1.57 trillion tax package, while reducing spending to reach a balanced budget in 7 years.  Mandatory spending programs are targeted for elimination of “waste, fraud, and abuse,” to be defined by the authorizing committees.  Meanwhile, a one percent cut in all non-defense, non-homeland security discretionary spending in the $2.2 trillion fiscal 2004 budget is also stipulated.  The resolution also calls for increases to defense and homeland security spending to help offset the costs of a possible Iraq war and protect the country from future terrorist attacks.

“There is plenty of waste, fraud, and abuse that can be eliminated in both discretionary and mandatory spending,” Schatz continued.  “CCAGW has continually called for the elimination of earmarks in the annual appropriations process, an amount that totaled $20.1 billion in fiscal 2002, and is expected to increase in fiscal 2003 once calculations are complete.”

In addition to the elimination of pork spending, Citizens Against Government Waste recommends cutting 548 wasteful programs included in the federal budget that would save $1.2 trillion over the next five years in its annual Prime Cuts publication.  The combination of cutting these programs, along with earmarks, would almost equal the tax cut package, thus leading to a balanced budget even sooner.

“While much more can be done to rein in out-of-control government spending, Chairman Nussle is on the right track,” Schatz concluded.  “The more than one million members and supporters of CCAGW strongly urge House members to pass this resolution in an effort to decrease waste in federal government.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  For more information, please visit www.ccagw.org.