Dr. Coburn's Efforts to Reduce Wasteful Washington Spending and Reform the Federal Budget Process

A scorecard

I ran for the Senate, in part, to reduce wasteful Washington, D.C. spending, reprioritize spending to ensure essential needs are not compromised by parochial political interests and to reform the way our government spends money.

Our national debt now surpasses $8.3 trillion, important programs like Social Security and Medicare are in danger of bankruptcy, our nation is fighting a global war on terrorism and Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath is the most expensive natural disaster in our nation’s history.

Every family in America must make decisions that require prioritizing and financial restraint to meet their financial situation and expect the government to do the same.  But politicians in Washington have for too long avoided making tough decisions and have prioritized their next election over the next generation.

Clearly this in not the time for business as usual in Washington and the borrow and spend mentality must come to an end if we are to ensure that the next generation of Americans inherit the same standard of living and that our seniors can enjoy financial security during their retirement years.

The following is a summary of the amendments I have offered on the Senate floor to reduce wasteful Washington spending and to reform the budget process.

While many of these amendments have been unsuccessful — often losing in lopsided votes — I believe it is important not to be discouraged and to continue to press for change and fiscal responsibility in Washington.  The future of our country, after all, depends upon it.

PROPOSALS ACCEPTED TO SAVE MONEY OR REPRIORITIZE SPENDING

TOTAL AMOUNT SAVED:  At Least $1,344,360,000

S. AMDT. 1241 to H.R. 3057, prohibits funds appropriated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from being used for entertainment expenses. USAID was created to provide humanitarian assistance to those in the developing world, yet the agency has been permitted to spend funds on entertainment for bureaucrats and others. Agreed to by a vote of 59 – 40 on July 19, 2005.  Roll call vote. Savings: Undetermined

S. AMDT. 2087 to H.R. 3058 limits Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding for conferences to $3 million. In 2005 alone, HUD spent $13.9 million on conferences. The agency planned to spend $12,360,010 on conferences in 2006.  Agreed to by voice vote on Oct. 20, 2005. Savings: $9.36 million

S. AMDT. 2230 to H.R. 3010 to limit reduce the Department of Health and Human Services’ funding for travel and conferences by $15 million. In 2005 alone, HHS spent $68.5 million on conferences.  Agreed to by unanimous consent Oct. 27, 2005.  Savings: $15 million.

S. AMDT. 3641, Division II to H.R. 4939 to strike $15 million for the purpose of promoting sea food consumption.  Agreed to by voice vote on April 27, 2006.  A motion to table, or kill, the amendment was defeated by a vote of 44—51.  Roll call vote:  (a YEA vote is to kill the amendment and spend the $15 million on seafood promotion and a NAY vote is to support the amendment).  Savings:  $15 million.

S.AMDT. 4491 to S.2766, reforms the Defense Travel System (DTS) to a Fee-For-Use-of-Service System.  To date, the DTS has cost the taxpayers $474 million (more than $200 million more than it was originally projected to cost) and it is still not fully deployed, has repeatedly failed to find the lowest airfare and is grossly underutilized.  This amendment prohibits continued funding of DTS and instead requires the Department of Defense to shift to a fixed price per transaction electronic travel system.  Agreed to by voice vote June 22, 2006.  Estimated savings: $40 to $50 million.

S.AMDT. 4371 to S.2766, prohibits the Department of Defense from issuing financial awards and incentive fees to contractors with below-satisfactory performance or performance that does not meet the basic requirements of a contract.  The Government Accountability Office has found the Defense Department "has issued billions in award and incentive fees regardless of acquisition outcome.”  Agreed to by voice vote June 22, 2006.  Estimated savings: At least $1 billion.

S. AMDT. 4585 to H.R. 5441 would effectively shut down two-thirds of the nation’s obsolete Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN) stations. The LORAN system, which is based on World War II technology, has been replaced by modern navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System. The nation’s 24 LORAN stations had been scheduled to undergo a $300 million update over the next ten years.  The amendment, as modified, was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.  Estimated savings: At least $200 million.

S. AMDT. 4787 to H.R.5631 would cap at $70 million the amount the Defense Department could spend on conferences and conference-related travel.  In 2005, the Pentagon spent more than $79 million on conferences.  The amendment was agreed to by voice vote on August 3, 2006 after the Senate rejected a motion to table, or kill, this amendment by a vote of 36 to 60 [Roll call vote: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00223, a YEA vote is to kill the amendment and allow unlimited conference spending and a NAY vote is to support the amendment].  Estimated savings:  At least $9 million.

PROPOSALS REJECTED TO SAVE MONEY OR REPRIORITIZE SPENDING

TOTAL REDUCTION IN WASTEFUL SPENDING REJECTED:  $8,427,427,440

S. AMDT. 471 to H.R. 1268 would have reduced funding in the emergency supplemental for the Iraqi embassy by $486 million, from $592 million to $106 million. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 82 percent of the money appropriated for the Iraqi embassy would not be spent until fiscal year 2007 at the earliest. The purpose of an emergency wartime supplemental appropriations bill is to fund operations and projects that need immediate funding. Money that is needed for the embassy in 2007 or 2012 can be appropriated during the regular budget process. We should not use an emergency appropriations bill that bypasses budget rules to fund activities that can be funded during the annual appropriations process. Tabled by a vote of 54 – 45 on April 20, 2005.  Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected: $486 million.

S. AMDT. 1242 to H.R. 3057 would have prohibited any funds from being used by the Export-Import Bank of the United States to approve a loan or a loan guarantee related to a nuclear project in communist China. The financing agency may provide a $5 billion combination of loans and loan guarantees to support the Westinghouse bid to build nuclear power plants in China. Rejected by a vote of 37 – 62 on July 19, 2005. Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected: $5 billion.

S. AMDT. 1648 to H.R. 2862 to eliminate the Advanced Technology Program, a corporate welfare program, and redirect its funding to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, community oriented policing service, and State and local law enforcement assistance, specifically to combat methamphetamine. Tabled by a vote of 68 – 29 on Sept. 14, 2005.  Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected: $140 million.

S. AMDT. 1773 to H.R. 2744 would have reduced the growth of spending for the federal Rental Assistance Program. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), “since 1990, the [program] has consistently overestimated its budget needs for the rental assistance program.” According to the GAO, the agency overestimated its financial need in 2003 by $51 million.  Not agreed to by voice vote Sept. 21, 2005.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected:  $42,347,440.

S. AMDT. 2005 to H.R. 2863 would have prohibited additional funding for the inefficient and underutilized Defense Travel System. Tabled by a vote of 65 – 32 on Oct. 6, 2005.  Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected: $40 to $50 million.

S. AMDT. 2093 to H.R. 3058 would have prohibited funding of three earmarks:  $950,000 for a parking facility at a museum in Omaha, Neb., $500,000 for a sculpture park in Seattle, Wash., and $200,000 for an animal facility in Westerly, R.I.  Tabled by a vote of 86 – 13 on Oct. 20, 2005.  Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected:  $1.65 million.

S. AMDT. 2165 to H.R. 3058 would have redirected funding from two dubious Alaska bridge projects — the Gravina “Bridge to Nowhere” and the Knik Arm Bridge — costing a combined $452 million to reconstruction of the Twin Spans Bridge connecting New Orleans and Slidell, La., damaged by Hurricane Katrina.  Not agreed to by a vote of 15 – 82 on Oct. 20, 2005.  Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected:  $452,425,000.

S. AMDT. 2232 to H.R. 3010 to reduce funding for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) construction and transfer such funding to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).  This bill provided $225 million for CDC construction, which is more than seven times the amount requested by the President.  More than 1,000 Americans living with HIV, on the other hand, are on ADAP waiting lists due to the shortfall in ADAP funding.  Not agreed to by a vote of 14 – 85 on Oct. 26, 2005.  Roll call vote.  Reduction in wasteful spending rejected:  $60 million.

A point of order against S. 2320, a bill to borrow $1 billion to increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for fiscal year 2006.  This bill violated congressional budget allocations by spending $1 billion more for LIHEAP than was approved by the congressional budget resolution.  Senator Coburn raised a budget point of order against the bill, which was waived by a vote of 66 to 31 on March 2, 2006.  Sixty votes are requires to waive a budget point of order.  Roll call vote (a YEA vote is a vote to borrow $1 billion and a NAY vote would sustain the point of order and thereby prevent the borrowing).  Reduction in spending rejected:  $1 billion.

S. AMDT No. 3641, Division I to strike $700 million to relocate a recently repaired train track in Mississippi.  Amendment was defeated by a motion to table the amendment with a vote of 50-47.  Roll call vote (a YEA vote is a vote to kill the amendment and spend $700 million on this project, a NAY vote is to support the amendment to strike the funding).  Reduction is wasteful spending rejected:  $700 million.

S. AMDT No. 3641, Division IV to strike a provision that would allow up to $500 million or more to be paid to private shipbuilders (i.e. Northrop Grumman) for “businesses disruptions” resulting from Hurricane Katrina.  Amendment was defeated by a motion to table the amendment with a vote of 48-- 51.  Roll call vote (a YEA vote is a vote to kill the amendment and spend $500 million on this project, a NAY vote is to support the amendment to strike the funding).  Reduction is wasteful spending rejected:  $500 million.

BUDGET REFORMS ACCEPTED

S. AMDT. 1020 to H.R.2361 expresses the Sense of the Senate that defense spending should not be under funded to support increases in non-defense spending. Agreed to by unanimous consent June 28, 2005.

S. AMDT. 1775 to H.R.2744 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill.  Previous Senate procedures allowed the Senate to automatically approve earmarks or special projects included in the House version of an appropriations bill without actually having to be considered or contained within bills or their accompanying reports.  Consequently, many earmarks that became law did not even come up for a vote in the Senate.  This process was used to essentially hide millions of dollars of spending from public view.  Agreed to by a vote of 55 – 39 on Sept. 21, 2005.  Roll call vote.

S. AMDT. 1858 to H.R. 2528 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill.  Agreed to by voice vote Sept. 22, 2005.

S. AMDT. 1948 to H.R. 2863 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill.  Agreed to by voice vote Oct. 5, 2005.

S. AMDT. 2084 to H.R. 3058 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill.  Agreed to by unanimous consent Oct. 20, 2005.

S. AMDT. 2190 to H.R. 3058 directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to report specific actions taken to estimate improper payments in the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) as required under the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002. Improper payments, which include inadvertent, fraudulent and irresponsible payments by government agencies, cost the taxpayers more than $45 billion every year.  In 2005, funding for CDBG programs was nearly $32 billion.  Yet, it failed to report its improper payments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as required by law.  Identifying and reporting improper payments are the first essential steps toward eliminating this practice that wastes tens of billions of tax dollars every year.  Agreed to by unanimous consent Oct. 20, 2005.

S. AMDT. 2231 to H.R. 3010 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill.  Agreed to by voice vote Oct. 26, 2005.

S. AMDT. 2234 to H.R. 3010 directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to report specific actions taken to estimate improper payments under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Programs, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and programs and activities under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as required under the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002.  These programs combined spend more than $231 billion each year, yet have failed to comply with the law that requires each agency to identify and report the improper payments they make so these errors, which cost the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars every year, can be eliminated. Agreed to by voice vote Oct. 27, 2005.

S. AMDT. 4370 to S.2766 requires an annual analysis of the total cost of earmarks funded through the Department of Defense and an analysis on the effectiveness of each earmark in meeting the goals of the Department of Defense.  Agreed to by voice vote June 22, 2006. 

S. AMDT. 4562 to H.R. 5441 prevents the secret appropriation of earmarks.  The amendment requires that any earmark contained in either the House of Representatives or Senate report accompanying H.R. 4610 be explicitly included in the conference report or joint statement accompanying the bill and not considered as passed if it is not contradicted the other chamber.  The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.

S. AMDT. 4561 to H.R. 5441 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Homeland Security to the Appropriations Committee, including the justifications of the President’s annual budget request, unless such reports contain information that would compromise national security.  The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.

S. AMDT. 4590 to H.R. 5441 requires the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to fully comply with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002.  Although DHS reported in its fiscal year 2005 that none of its programs were at “significant” risk of making improper payments, preliminary estimates by DHS indicate that millions of dollars were misspent during hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  DHS admits that their methodology and testing for improper payments in fiscal year 2005 was not as thorough as it should have been in order to comply with the law.  The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.

S. AMDT. 4848 to H.R.5631 requires an analysis of the total cost of earmarks funded in 2007 and the effectiveness of each in meeting the goals of the Department of Defense.  The amendment was approved by a vote of 96 to 1 on August 3, 2006.  [Roll call vote: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00226 ]

S. AMDT. 4784 to H.R.5631 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Defense to the Appropriations Committee, including the justifications of the President’s annual budget request, unless such reports contain information that would compromise national security.  The amendment was agreed to by voice vote on August 3, 2006.

BUDGET REFORMS REJECTED

S. AMDT. 450 to H.R. 1268 would have stripped language limiting competition for the construction of a high-speed marine cargo terminal and IT network at the Port of Philadelphia to a “Philadelphia-based company.” An open, competitive process should be permitted for government contracts so that all interested companies have the opportunity compete. Opening up the competitive process increases the likelihood that the best possible company can receive the contract and removes parochial, political interests from the awarding of government contracts. Rejected by voice vote April 20, 2005.

S. AMDT. 1003 to H.R. 2361 would have required the report that accompanies the 2006 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill.  The bill as approved allowed earmarks or special projects included in either the House or Senate version of the bill to be considered approved by the other chamber without actually having to be considered or contained within the other chamber’s version of the bill.  Consequently, many earmarks will become law without even receiving a vote in the Senate.  This process was used to essentially hide millions of dollars of spending from public view. Not agreed to by a vote of 33 – 59 on June 28, 2005. Roll call vote.

S. AMDT. 3175 to S. 2349 would have required full discloser of all entities and organizations receiving Federal funds and the program source of such funding in a searchable on-line database accessible to the public at no cost.  Rejected by a point of order March 29, 2006.  (Re-introduced as a freestanding bill, S. 2590, on April 6, 2006).

Permalink