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Rep. Tom Petri reports that Republican leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have released a study which identifies opportunities to potentially save hundreds of billions of taxpayers’ dollars through the improved management of federally owned assets or the elimination of wasteful spending. Possible savings include more than $200 million annually through improved management of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assets and resources.
Petri is the Ranking Republican on the Committee's Aviation Subcommittee and leads Republican cost-saving efforts in the subcommittee.
The report, entitled “Sitting on Our Assets: The Federal Government’s Misuse of Taxpayer-Owned Assets,” was prepared by the Committee’s minority staff and released by the Committee’s ranking members. The entire report can be accessed at
http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/.
“Certainly the Federal Aviation Administration, like other agencies under this Committee’s jurisdiction, can better manage and oversee its facilities and resources. This report identifies several areas where we believe the FAA can vastly improve the oversight of its assets, cut back on waste, and save taxpayer money,” said Petri. “The report brings attention to ways the FAA can cut costs and support the goals of air traffic control modernization.”
“This comprehensive review identifies up to a quarter of a trillion dollars in potential savings that could be achieved by eliminating waste, better managing critical federally owned assets, and operating government programs with more efficiency,” said the Transportation Committee’s Ranking Republican Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL) of the full report. “Congress must become a better steward of the people’s money and resources.”
The report proposes cost savings and better utilization of government-owned resources across the entire jurisdiction of the Committee, including each of the panel’s six subcommittees.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the largest real property inventory within the Department of Transportation. Its inventory includes 66,000 leased or owned properties, including everything from small holdings for air traffic control navigation aids, to large leased space for its regional, technical center, and headquarters offices.
“Sitting on Our Assets” focuses on improving FAA asset management and reducing government waste, including in the following areas:
* Facility realignments in support of air traffic control modernization.
* Staffing air traffic control facilities based upon existing and forecasted traffic levels and safety requirements.
* Creative utilization of the Federal Contract Tower Program.
The report also recommends that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) should improve upon its record of recapturing lease costs through revenue streams and develop a full cost accounting system to better understand its balance sheet.
The “Sitting on Our Assets” report recommends that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should aggressively pursue installation of in-line explosives detection systems (EDS) at the 30 busiest airports in terms of passenger enplanements that are not currently fully equipped with these systems. This would ensure the most effective and cost-efficient screening process is utilized for a majority of checked baggage screenings.
Detection rates by EDS systems that are integrated into the automated checked baggage systems of U.S. airports far out-perform other methods of screening. Reviews by both the TSA and the Government Accountability Office have also demonstrated the enormous cost savings that can be achieved with the installation of in-line EDS systems.
"While I have special responsibility for taxpayer savings in aviation matters, the report makes several other notable recommendations," said Petri.
“Sitting on Our Assets” focuses on improving asset management and reducing government waste, including in the following areas:
· The management of federal real estate and property under the General Services Administration;
· Expediting the project approval process for infrastructure projects;
· Reducing waste in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s emergency housing program;
· Improving management of Tennessee Valley Authority assets and charge card program
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