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As a Member of Congress, I believe that it is my responsibility to ensure proper oversight over the federal government to investigate and expose waste, fraud, and abuse. For these reasons, I have cosponsored and introduced legislation to implement government reform.
I am a cosponsor of the Federal Program Sunset Commission Act, which would establish a commission to evaluate all programs administered by the federal government. The commission would then make recommendations regarding the effectiveness and necessity of federal programs and draft legislation to carry out these recommendations. A commission such as this can work proactively to ensure that all federal programs are operating efficiently.
To further limit unnecessary federal spending, I have cosponsored legislation to prevent automatic pay provisions for Members of Congress. I also voted to cut the operating budget for the House of Representatives by 5%. This cut totaled $35 million, or about $75,000 per Congressional office, with future cuts remaining an option until our nation has fully recovered economically. Additionally, since 2006, I have been an original cosponsor of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act), which aims to prohibit Members of Congress and their staff from using information not available to the public to guide them in making and selling investments.
Furthermore, I have introduced legislation to end abuse of taxpayer-funded travel by Members of Congress. The Congressional Foreign Travel Reform Act of 2011 limits the per-day maximum allowance for federal employees while traveling in a foreign country on official business. It also prohibits vacation stopovers at any point during official foreign travel and requires Members of Congress to reduce the travel costs of their trips and to return any remaining funds at the conclusion of their trip. A second piece of legislation, the Suspending Travel after Years of Pleasure Trips on Unwitting Taxpayers Act of 2011, also known as the STAY PUT Act of 2011, aims to prohibit the use of appropriated funds to pay for official travel outside of the United States until an audit is completed to ensure transparency in the funding of Congressional trips. Legislation such as this is common sense. Members of Congress should enjoy no greater privileges than anybody else in this country. We are obligated to eliminate any appearance of impropriety.
Finally, many taxpayers have very little knowledge of where their tax dollars go and what they are used to pay for. Legislation such as the Taxpayer Receipt Act, which I cosponsored, aims to provide every taxpayer with an itemized tax receipt showing how much of their money has gone into large programs, such as Social Security, national defense, and Medicare, as well as how much additional borrowing by the federal government took place in that tax year.
I understand that government reform will remain an important task as we enter the second session of the 112th Congress. We must ensure trust between the American people and the federal government. I will continue to work toward greater transparency and efficiency as I serve you in Congress.
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