June 13, 2013

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515  

Dear Representative,  
    
You are currently considering H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.  On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I urge you to support the following amendments:

• Amendment No. 21, offered by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), which would prohibit the Army National Guard from using authorized funds to sponsor professional wrestling entertainment or motor sports.

• Amendment No. 117, offered by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), which would reform the process by which federal agencies procure products and services related to information technology.

• Amendment No. 164, offered by Reps. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.), which would require the secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to make all health care information contained in the Department of Defense AHLTA and the Department of Veterans Affairs VistA systems available and actionable to health care providers in both departments by October 1, 2014 and require the secretaries to implement an integrated health record by October 1, 2016.

• Amendment No. 258, offered by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), which would require the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on efforts to make more efficient use of defense facilities, with a focus on underutilized and unutilized facilities.

• Amendment No. 260, offered by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), which would require a report from the comptroller general evaluating the different programs and contracting methods that Medicare and TRICARE use to prevent and correct improper payments to medical providers, and also require an evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs.

These amendments would enact reforms to increase efficiency  and reduce wasteful spending that taxpayers simply cannot afford.  All votes on H.R. 1960 will be among those considered in CCAGW’s 2013 Congressional Ratings.   

Sincerely,

Tom Schatz
President, CCAGW