(Washington, D.C.) – In response to the upcoming vote on the fiscal 2004 Interior Appropriations Bill, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) President Thomas A. Schatz sent the following letter to members of the House of Representatives urging them to support the Sessions-Davis amendment striking Section 335 of the bill, which would prevent the Department of Interior from engaging in competitive sourcing:

When you consider the fiscal 2004 Interior Appropriations Bill, I urge you and your colleagues, on behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of the Council of Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), to vote for the Sessions-Davis amendment to strike Section 335 of the Interior Department Appropriations bill.

Section 335 would block the Department of the Interior from competitive outsourcing, as provided in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A-76.  OMB’s revised guidance represents the most comprehensive overhaul of the process in 20 years and is the product of a two-year effort that included discussions and negotiations with all stakeholders, including federal employee groups and private sector companies.  This new “best value” competition process ensures accountability, efficiency, and budget savings. 

The General Accounting Office has noted that public-private competitions result in substantial savings in the activity competed, regardless of who wins the competition.  Competitive sourcing has been the longstanding policy of the federal government and is one of five pillars of the President’s Management Agenda.  

Competitive sourcing is not the same as outsourcing or privatization.  Its purpose is neither to downsize the workforce nor to contract jobs out.  It is about harnessing the benefits of competition to produce superior performance for the taxpayer, regardless of who performs the services.  Whether the benefits are produced from re-engineering work kept inside of the agency, or from contracting out, the best deal for the taxpayer wins. 

With a projected deficit of $455 billion for fiscal 2003, it is now more important than ever to support the Sessions-Davis amendment that would strike section 335 from the Interior Appropriations bill.  CCAGW will consider rating any votes related to competitive sourcing in our annual 2003 Congressional Ratings.

Respectfully,

Tom Schatz      

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.