TANNER INTRODUCES BILL TO HOLD
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR SPENDING

Congress ignoring constitutional duty of oversight, Tanner says

‘No business could operate like our government does’

WASHINGTON – Congress has abandoned its oversight responsibility, says U.S. Rep. John Tanner, who introduced legislation this week to make federal agencies accountable to Congress for how they spend taxpayer money.

“We are borrowing record amounts of money from other countries to fund our own federal government, but there is little to no accounting for how that money is being spent,” Tanner said. Nineteen of 24 federal agencies cannot show an accurate audit of their financial books, according to the Government Accountability Office, he added.

Inspectors General in each agency identify waste, inefficiency, fraud and abuse that could save taxpayers billions of dollars. Their recommendations, however, are often ignored, said Tanner, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and is a founding member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats.

“No private business in this country could operate the way Washington is operating,” Tanner said. “Congress takes money from citizens involuntarily and appropriates it to an Administration. This Congress has completely abdicated its constitutional responsibility and obligation to hold this Administration accountable.

“Congress does not ask how money is being spent, and if they did, the Administration couldn’t answer. The citizens of this country should expect someone to account for where their tax money is going. This bill mandates that Congress explore financial mismanagement.”

Tanner’s legislation, H Res 841, would reinstate Congress’ check-and-balance of executive-branch spending:

·        Requires Congressional hearings within 60 days of Inspector General reports that identify waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement over $1 million.

·        Requires Congressional hearings and testimony from agency officials when the Government Accountability Office identifies a federal agency as “high risk” for mismanagement. GAO’s “high risk” report focuses on federal programs that are vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement.

·        Requires Congress to hold hearings and question Cabinet Secretaries when agency auditors issue disclaimers or corrections to an agency’s audit. Financial misstatements undermine the public’s trust and confidence in the federal government.

·        Requires Congress to hold at least two hearings a year on performance reviews by the Office of Management and Budget’s Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). These reviews assess agencies’ strengths and weaknesses. Despite repeated urging from the GAO, these evaluations are not typically shared with Congress.

The federal debt is at a record-high $8.3 trillion, and the federal government has run record-high deficits for four years in a row. Most of the additional borrowing is coming from foreign sources.

Tanner published a report in April on the impact of the government’s fiscal recklessness, called “The Consequences of America’s Debt on Our Economic Future.”

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Contact: Randy Ford, 202.225.4714