Tester backs bill to cut government waste, save taxpayer money

Legislation would hold agencies accountable for cutting unnecessary expenses

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester is leading an effort in the U.S. Senate to save taxpayer dollars by cutting government waste and inefficiency.

Tester is backing bipartisan legislation to modernize the way federal agencies work, set goals for efficiency, and publicly report progress to the taxpayers.

The Government Performance and Results Modernization Act would require federal agency employees to:

• Identify and eliminate overlapping federal programs
• Reduce the number of annual written reports by at least 10 percent
• Post real-time results of agency goals toward efficiency on a single public website

Tester pointed to the legislation, which is estimated to potentially save millions of taxpayer dollars every year, as a next step in confronting the national debt.

“As we attempt a grown-up conversation about real ways to cut spending and tackle the national debt, we can find some common ground by taking aim at the low-hanging fruit of inefficiency in government,” Tester said.  “Making sure taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck is a darn good step toward reining in our deficits.”

The legislation—available online HERE—would also designate a Chief Operating Officer for each agency.  The officers, who would not be new hires, will be held accountable for their agencies’ performance standards.

Tester, an outspoken advocate for reining in the national debt, personally trimmed $6 billion from a law recently passed by Congress.  He also voted against and helped kill two Congressional pay raises, and passed legislation in the Senate that would permanently repeal automatic pay raises for Congress.