Last Month, a Report by the Project On Government Oversight Found that the U.S. Government Ignored Millions of Flags Signifying Potentially Fraudulent Loans, Leading to Nearly $100 Billion in Fraud

In 2011, Then-Vice President Biden Led a ‘Campaign to Cut Government Waste’ that Saved the Government More Than $17 Billion In Just Six Months

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today urged President Joe Biden to reestablish the ‘Campaign to Cut Government Waste’ to protect taxpayer dollars.

In 2011, President Obama chose then-Vice President Joe Biden to lead a ‘Campaign to Cut Government Waste’ to enable the federal government to streamline programs and eliminate misspent tax dollars in every agency and department across the federal government. After six months, the Office of Management and Budget reported that the campaign saved the United States more than $17 billion — and continued to save billions of dollars in the following years by cutting contracting costs, cracking down on improper payments, and cutting red tape.

In a letter to President Biden, Spanberger urged him to establish another ‘Campaign to Cut Government Waste’ to address overlapping, duplicative, or non-essential government spending. Additionally, she outlined the goals achieved by the 2011 campaign he led, underscored the need for such a program today, and detailed where the program could immediately begin to root out unnecessary spending.

“The American people deserve an efficient, accountable, and transparent federal government,” wrote Spanberger. “Unfortunately, a report by the Project On Government Oversight released last month found that the federal government ignored millions of flags signifying potentially fraudulent loans, leading to nearly $100 billion in fraud.”

Spanberger continued, “Given your experience leading this effort, I urge you to initiate another government-wide effort to cut unnecessary spending, similar to the Campaign to Cut Government Waste. It is past time for another comprehensive review to ensure the greatest return on taxpayer dollars. A meaningful place to start would be the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from earlier this year, which identified dozens of actions that agencies can take to save billions of dollars and improve government services.”

Click here to read Spanberger’s letter, and the full letter text is below.

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Dear President Biden:

The American people deserve an efficient, accountable, and transparent federal government. Unfortunately, a report by the Project On Government Oversight released last month found that the federal government ignored millions of flags signifying potentially fraudulent loans, leading to nearly $100 billion in fraud. This is unacceptable and avoidable. I urge your administration to help prevent current and future waste, fraud, and abuse by initiating a Campaign to Cut Government Waste.

In 2011, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13576 – Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government. The executive order established a Campaign to Cut Government Waste, designed to “hunt down and eliminate misspent tax dollars in every agency and department across the Federal Government.” Reexamining fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative activities enables the government to streamline programs and save billions in taxpayer dollars. Notably, President Obama put you in charge of this initiative.

As Vice President, you worked with Cabinet members across agencies and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to find ways to eliminate wasteful or non-essential government expenses, convened the Government Accountability and Transparency Board, and initiated a program to solicit advice from federal employees on commonsense areas to reduce unnecessary spending.

After six months, the Campaign to Cut Government Waste saved the government more than $17 billion. The U.S. government continued to save billions of dollars in the following years by cutting contracting costs, cracking down on improper payments, cutting red tape, and making small but important changes based on federal employee feedback – like moving certain resources online instead of printing them.

Given your experience leading this effort, I urge you to initiate another government-wide effort to cut unnecessary spending, similar to the Campaign to Cut Government Waste. It is past time for another comprehensive review to ensure the greatest return on taxpayer dollars. A meaningful place to start would be the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from earlier this year, which identified dozens of actions that agencies can take to save billions of dollars and improve government services.

We must do more to ensure the government is working for the people – especially when 75% of Americans believe the government is too wasteful. The American people deserve to know that their government is a trustworthy steward of taxpayer dollars and that we are committed to improving efficiency, transparency, and accountability. I appreciate your commitment to this mission and hope you will seriously consider launching a Campaign to Cut Government Waste.

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