Senate Panel Approves Ayotte, Manchin Duplication Elimination Act
Press Release
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today approved The Duplication Elimination Act, bipartisan legislation authored by US Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) that would save billions of taxpayer dollars by making it easier for Congress to eliminate duplicative and wasteful programs across federal government agencies.
"With our country $19 trillion in debt, we can't wait any longer to eliminate duplicative and wasteful government programs, and this legislation is a positive step," said Senator Ayotte. "I'm pleased to have worked with Senator Manchin and my colleagues on the committee to further strengthen this bill and I hope the full Senate will take it up as soon as possible."
"With our national debt exceeding $19 trillion, we need to start making smart reforms to get rid of government waste and hold our government accountable for unnecessary redundancies," Senator Manchin said. "I am glad this bipartisan, common sense legislation has passed out of committee so we can continue to work towards a reasonable way to help reduce our deficit and focus on fiscal responsibility."
The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) Annual Report on Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication identifies duplicative, overlapping, or wasteful government programs, and provides recommendations to reduce waste and inefficiency. Yet Congress and the President too often fail to act on these recommendations. In fact, since 2011, the federal government has fully addressed just 37 percent of the 440 recommended actions outlined by the GAO. Billions of dollars continue to be wasted.
The Duplication Elimination Act would require the President to submit to Congress a joint resolution proposal that would implement the GAO's recommendations. The legislation would also require the President to provide Congress with a report that explains which GAO recommendations are excluded and the reason for their omission. Congress would then consider and amend the proposal within 80 days. The bill also includes a requirement that any savings achieved from implementing the GAO's recommendations be used solely for deficit reduction.
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