WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Ander Crenshaw voted Thursday to save taxpayers up to $1 billion by supporting a plan that requires the collection of unpaid taxes from federal employees. The tenth YouCut initiative was defeated by a majority of Democrats who have voted down all YouCut projects. To date, Crenshaw has voted to eliminate more than $120 billion in wasteful government spending under this new Republican program.
"While all Americans have an obligation to pay the taxes they owe, federal employees are especially obliged to pay their share of taxes because they draw their compensation from the American taxpayers,” said Crenshaw, a member of the Republican Deputy Whip Team, who helped form project YouCut. “Apparently, the Democratic majority doesn’t see it the same way, voting against this and every other YouCut suggestion to cut back on wasteful government spending.”
“I’ve heard from the folks in Northeast Florida, and they’ve sounded a desperate call for Washington to change its spend, spend, spend mentality to one of saving,” Crenshaw continued. “YouCut is a great way to accomplish that goal – one step at a time.”
The project YouCut website is accessible at http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut. The initiative is designed to allow citizens to vote for their favorite spending cut and suggest programs that they think can be eliminated. Each week Congress will vote on the cut that receives the most votes.
House Democrats have defeated the following proposed spending cuts on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:
• Week one: $25 billion - Eliminate duplicative welfare program.
• Week two: $30 billion - Eliminate federal employee pay raise.
• Week three: $30 billion - Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• Week four: $15 billion - Sell excess federal property.
• Week five: $15 billion - Prohibit hiring new IRS agents to enforce health care law.
• Week six: $1.2 billion - Prohibit taxpayer funding for union activities.
• Week seven: Millions of dollars - Prohibit stimulus funding for promotional signage and recoup previously spent funds.
• Week eight: $1.2 billion - Eliminate first class Amtrak subsidies.
• Week nine: $1.1 billion - Eliminate the Advanced Earned Income Tax Credit.
• Week ten: More than $1 billion – Require the collection of unpaid taxes from federal employees.
