Congressman Kurt Schrader is pleased that Congress has adopted budgetary guidelines that reduce spending for the upcoming 2011 budget. The resolution also authorizes funding for reducing fraud and abuse in existing programs that Schrader proposed in the Preventing, Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Act of 2010, introduced on May 20, 2010.

According to Chairman Spratt, “Kurt Schrader has emerged as a respected leader and constructive voice in the Budget Committee and the House as a whole on the issue of reducing waste and fraud in the federal budget.”

“For every dollar invested in my bill to protect the integrity of Medicare, children’s health care, Social Security, and unemployment we get anywhere from $1.50 to $8 back on our investment,” said Schrader. “This is part of my 10-steps to fiscal reform which is shared by the Blue Dog Coalition and is critical to get our country back on its feet.”

The President’s FY2011 budget request included a freeze in non-security discretionary spending. House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt introduced H. Res. 1493 with discretionary spending authorization levels $7 billion lower than the President’s request. The resolution also provides for the assessment of federal programs run by the Social Security Administration, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Department of Labor in order to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in taxpayer funded programs. The resolution also provides for increased oversight of tax receipts.