FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2005
CONTACT: Chris Paulitz
SENATOR HUTCHISON DISCUSSES BUDGET OFFSETS AT WHITE HOUSE
BICAMERAL MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BUSH
Calls for 10 percent administrative cuts to help pay for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called for a 10 percent cut in administrative costs for all departments, excluding the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. She also attended a bicameral leadership meeting with President Bush to discuss options to limit federal spending as Congress works to pay for the costs associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“No one can honestly claim that with all of the waste in the federal bureaucracies we cannot trim 10 percent from the departments’ administrative budgets,” Sen. Hutchison said. “The hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast and displaced thousands of Americans demand a more intensified approach to reigning in spending. We have endured a monumental tragedy that requires a historic response to pay for recovery and rebuilding efforts.”
Focused on further spending cuts, Sen. Hutchison also called to reduce the size of the Highway Authorization Bill by eliminating $6 billion from “above the line” spending. Furthermore, she called to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in mandatory spending programs.
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