Welcome to YouCut
YouCut – a first-of-its-kind project - is designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. It allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts that you want to see the House enact. Each week, we will take the winning item and offer it to the full House for an up-or-down vote, so that you can see where your representative stands on your priorities. Vote on this page today for your priorities and together we can begin to change Washington's culture of spending into a culture of savings.

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Vote
Eliminate Unnecessary Congressional Printing
Potential savings of $35 million + over ten years
Whenever a Member of Congress introduces a bill or resolution, the Government Printing Office prints 200 paper copies. In the last Congress, Members introduced 14,042 bills and resolutions. That works out to 2.8 million paper copies and with all the bills available online, many of these paper copies are simply thrown away. This year Congress will spend approximately $7 million printing bills and resolutions. By eliminating the mandatory printing of every introduced bill, and instead using technology to ensure that bills are available online for anyone to examine, we can achieve significant savings to taxpayers, while still ensuring accountable and open government.
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Vote
Refocus National Archives Activities On Preserving Federal Records
Potential Savings of $10 million next year and $100 million over ten years
The National Archives and Records Administration and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission are charged with managing Federal records. However, they also spend approximately $10 million a year on grants for state and local governments, universities and other institutions to preserve and publish non-Federal records. While a worthwhile goal, the federal government also spends $167.5 million a year on the National Endowment for the Humanities and $282 million for the Institute for Museum and Library Services which can and sometimes do fund projects towards similar ends. Refocusing the National Archives on the preservation of Federal records would save taxpayers $10 million next year and $100 million over ten years.

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Vote
Terminate Broadcasting Facility Grant Programs that Have Completed their Mission
Potential Savings of $25 million in the first year, $250 million over ten years
In his most recent budget, President Obama proposed terminating the Public Broadcasting Grants at the Department of Agriculture and Public Telecommunications Facilities Grants at the Department of Commerce. The President’s Budget justified terminating these programs, noting that: "Since 2004, the USDA Public Broadcasting Grants program has provided grants to support rural public television stations' conversion to digital broadcasting. Digital conversion efforts mandated by the Federal Communications Commission are now largely complete, and there is no further need for this program." and "Since 2000, most PTFP awards have supported public television stations' conversion to digital broadcasting. The digital television transition was completed in 2009, and there is no further need for DOC’s program."
Then, Submit Your Ideas for Spending Cuts

YouCut is designed to defeat the permissive culture of spending in Congress. After you vote on this week's choices, we need your help in identifying which program and spending cuts should be featured on this website each week. Click the button below to submit your ideas!

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YouCut Citizen Review

The YouCut Citizen Review will look at grants issued by the National Science Foundation and identify those that you consider wasteful. Together, we will begin to hold agencies accountable for how they are spending the people's money. Click here to learn more about the YouCut Citizen Review and to take part!



Member Vote Scorecard

Every week of session, we take the item that the public has selected and offer it before the entire House for an up-or-down vote. Click here to see the total percentage each Representative has voted for YouCut spending cuts.

Previous Cuts Chosen By the Public

Each week, the public votes on which items should be brought to the House Floor. Here is a list of previous winning items.

Week One: Cut the New Non-Reformed Welfare Program ($25 Billion Savings)

Week Two: Eliminate Federal Employee Pay Raise ($30 Billion Savings)

Week Three: Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ($30 Billion Savings)

Week Four: Sell Excess Federal Property ($15 Billion Savings)

Week Five: Prohibit Hiring New IRS Agents to Enforce Health Care Law ($15 Billion Savings)

Week Six: Taxpayer Subsidized Union Activities ($1.2 Billion Savings)

Week Seven: Prohibit Stimulus Funding for Promotional Signage (Tens of Millions)

Week Eight: Prohibit Sleeper Car Subsidies on Amtrak ($1.2 billion Savings)

Week Nine: Bipartisan Proposal to Terminate AEITC ($1.1 billion Savings)

Week Ten: Require Collection of Unpaid Taxes From Federal Employees ($1 billion Savings)

Week Eleven: Reduce Government Employment to 2008 Levels ($35 billion Savings)

Week Twelve: Terminate the TARP Program Prohibiting Any Additional Bailouts

Week Thirteen: Terminate Taxpayer Funding of National Public Radio

Week Fourteen: Eliminate Unnecessary Congressional Printing