House GOP leaders are revving up a campaign to end the lazy legislative practice of spending hundreds of billions of dollars on “zombie” programs, many at State and Veterans Affairs, that aren’t even authorized to exist.
A plan being unveiled Wednesday, House Republican Caucus Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, with members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, would end the practice that uses $310 billion of taxpayer funds yearly for expired programs such as $72 million on “international and foreign language studies programs.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper dubbed the expired programs ‘zombies.’
Her plan has a simple goal: Force Congress to either authorize spending on programs it likes or finally kill those they string along for years. It would also establish a commission to handle the chore of deciding which discretionary spending needs to stay — or go.
The “Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act of 2017” is a revival of a similar bid made last year but more likely to move ahead this year because it jives with President Trump’s agenda to slash wasteful spending.
A 168-page Congressional Budget Office report put the tab at $310 billion a year. Many programs have long outlived their role, but the money keeps flowing. Others, like NASA, Congress wants to continue but doesn’t official authorize them to spend money.
In either case, the money flows to the unauthorized agencies, dubbed “zombies” by CNN’s Jake Tapper, and they spend them.
Her plan would be to sunset the programs after three years, while giving Congress a change to continue them if they want.
“As we build a bold, forward-looking agenda, a top priority is to restore the voice of ‘We, the People,'” McMorris Rodgers said in a statement. “We hear the frustrations of families and individuals whose power to make the best decisions for themselves has been taken away by a government that thinks it knows best and isn’t being held accountable.
“These frustrations are a symptom of the people losing their power to ensure every penny of taxpayer money is subject to citizens’ scrutiny and accountability. Too much of the government is currently on autopilot, and it’s time to challenge the status quo,” she added.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
