Blue Dogs Endorse Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Duplicative Programs

Building on their bipartisan efforts to make government better respect taxpayer dollars, the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives has thrown its support behind a bipartisan bill that would, for every new program proposed, require a government-wide review to check for existing, similar programs.

The legislation, H.Res. 623, would require the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to provide a "duplication score" for all legislation before consideration in Congress. Similar to costs estimates provided by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this duplication score would explain if the proposed legislation creates new programs duplicative of existing federal programs.

Last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified in a report hundreds of programs with overlapping functions and targeted 81 areas to reduce or eliminate duplication. A year later, only four of the areas had been fully resolved. For instance, there are 15 financial literacy programs administered by 13 different federal agencies costing taxpayers more than $30 million annually. There are also 94 federal initiatives to encourage "green building" in the private sector, all run by 11 different federal agencies.

"Our government has too many redundant federal programs, and members of the Blue Dog Coalition know that it's time to cut the fat. This is a good step toward Congress tightening its belt," said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility, who introduced the legislation along with Reps. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., and James Lankford, R-Okla. U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Mark Udall, D-Col., have also introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

"At a time when the United States is running record deficits, the last thing we should be doing is funding an abundance of unnecessary federal programs and more big government," said Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility. "These taxpayer dollars are better spent paying down our debt and creating a sound economic climate for our businesses to grow, invest and create jobs for hardworking Americans."

"Duplicative or overlapping programs not only waste taxpayer dollars, they make government more complex and more ineffective," said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair of Communications. "Before Congress creates another single program, it should know whether one already exists. H.Res. 623 is another simple, commonsense idea that Blue Dogs support and we'll keep working in a bipartisan way to make government more efficient and better respect taxpayer dollars."

"Washington has created this complex bureaucracy where folks are pushed around several agencies without getting help they need," said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. "On top of this confusion, is the added cost to taxpayers to fund these programs. Blue Dogs support streamlining the processes of the federal government, and this bill ensures that future programs run as efficiently as possible to benefit taxpayers."

"Eliminating duplicative programs is a simple way to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy in the federal government," said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. "Members on both sides of the aisle talk about the need to improve government efficiency and eliminate wasteful spending, and H.Res. 623 is yet another Blue Dog-endorsed initiative to do just that."

"H.Res. 623 is a smart and efficient way to eliminate excessive federal spending in Washington and help reduce our massive debt," said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip. "The financial security of our nation depends on our government's ability to operate within its means, and I believe this amendment is a step in the right direction. By removing redundancy in federal programs, Congress will show that we are serious about finding responsible, bipartisan solutions to save the American taxpayer millions of dollars."

The bill has received support from across the political spectrum, being praised by groups like Third Way, the Bipartisan Policy Center, Taxpayers for Common Sense, National Taxpayers Union and Americans for Prosperity.

H.Res. 623 is just the latest example of Blue Dogs' efforts to reach across the aisle, work with Republicans and try to pass bipartisan legislation that makes government better respect taxpayer dollars. So far this Congress, the Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed ten bills with both Democratic and Republican support that are focused on fiscal responsibility, fiscal accountability or economic growth.

The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Visit the Blue Dog website at https://ross.house.gov/BlueDog to learn more. You can also get up-to-the-minute news updates on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/bluedogpress.