Undoubtedly, the federal government is an imperfect steward of the people’s money. With a budget of about $4 trillion, an annual deficit of about $500 billion, and a national debt of more than $19 trillion, the caretakers in Washington, D.C., are not very good at balancing the national checkbook.
With numbers of that scale, it is inevitable that there would be some waste in federal spending. That leads us to the latest annual report from the Government Accountability Office regarding federal efficiency and effectiveness. The report, now in its sixth year, was created by President Barack Obama with Executive Order 13576, which states in part, “The American people must be able to trust that their Government is doing everything in its power to stop wasteful practices and earn a high return on every tax dollar that is spent.”
The result? Over the past five years the report has led to $56 billion in financial benefits, and it has identified an expected $69 billion in savings over the next 10 years. But there is plenty of room for improvement. Among the findings in this year’s report, which was released this month:
• The Department of Defense spent $118 million last year to stockpile and/or destroy excess ammunition that could instead be transferred to state or local agencies.
• Federal agencies have $870 billion in balances that are being held to provide a financial cushion for that agency rather being put to use elsewhere.
• And the Internal Revenue Service has nine different programs allowing citizens to report tax evasion. Not only is that an overkill of programs, but they do a poor job of sharing information or protecting and rewarding whistleblowers.
Those are just three examples of the waste that was spelled out in this year’s report. In total, 92 potential money-saving actions in 37 federal agencies were identified — actions that could reduce “fragmentation, overlap, and duplication.”
While admitting that you have a problem is the first step toward solving it, the federal government has an uneven track record. Of cost-saving opportunities identified during the first five years of the General Accountability Office report, 41 percent have been enacted. The Obama administration has addressed 43 percent of the recommendations that fall within its purview, while Congress has enacted only 32 percent of the recommendations under its control.
Which brings up the part about the public needing to trust that government is working to end wasteful practices. “Why do we need to come back, year after year, to discuss the same, unimplemented recommendations?” asked Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. “Disagreements over policy can lead to disagreements over appropriate spending, but the imperative to prevent waste is something we can all agree on.” Of course, it was Chaffetz who led wasteful and fruitless congressional hearings targeting Planned Parenthood last year, but that is beside the point.
During 15 years under presidents George W. Bush and Obama, federal spending has more than doubled. Bush even launched the United States into two wars while simultaneously cutting taxes across the board and providing no way to pay for those wars. Meanwhile, the national debt roughly doubled under Bush, and has doubled again under Obama.
In other words, call us skeptical about Washington, D.C.’s, ability or willingness to seek out and eliminate wasteful spending at the federal level. But it would be a good start if those in power could heed the simple suggestions that come from the GAO report.