The U.S. House on Wednesday passed legislation cosponsored by Rep. Peter Welch that would cut government waste by mandating regular performance evaluations of federal agencies.

The Government Efficiency, Effectiveness and Performance Improvement Act (H.R. 2142) passed the House late Wednesday by voice vote. The bill increases transparency and accountability by requiring annual assessments, improvement plans and evaluations.

"Just like any business, the federal government must continuously strive to cut costs, increase efficiency and boost its performance. As our nation's deficit deepens, the necessity of sound management and oversight is all the more important," Welch said.

H.R. 2142 is one of several initiatives Rep. Welch has helped lead to make government more fiscally responsible. He has cosponsored the Securing America's Future Economy Commission Act (H.R. 1557), which establishes a bipartisan commission to address unsustainable long-term spending commitments. And he has cosponsored the Spending Reduction Act (H.R. 4871), which establishes non-security discretionary spending limits, extends Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) enforcement mechanisms and sets a higher bar for "emergency spending."

Welch also helped write the Pay-As-You-Go Act (H.J.Res 45), which was passed by the House in February and signed into law shortly thereafter. Statutory PAYGO legislation requires lawmakers to pay for new spending and entitlement programs either by cutting spending or increasing revenue.