It’s been the night of the living debt in Washington for decades now. Government programs that Congress hasn’t expressly approved to receive money keep operating on the taxpayer’s dime, and the cost is no pocket change. These “unauthorized” programs, zombies of the federal budget, total more than $300 billion — about one-quarter of the spending over which lawmakers have complete control each year.
The programs also have caught the eye of fiscal hawks in Congress. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the House Republican Conference chairwoman, introduced legislation Monday that would prompt Congress to review and re-up unauthorized programs, or watch them be cut off after a three-year period. The Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act certainly has the appearance of a spending bill, but McMorris Rodgers tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that it’s also an accountability measure.
