Porter Goss: “I read in last Friday's Congress Daily that the chairman of the Budget Committee in the other body is looking for…”

“I read in last Friday's Congress Daily that the chairman of the Budget Committee in the other body is looking for between $150 and $200 billion in discretionary cuts as part of his effort to bring about a balanced budget. Some might see that as a difficult or even an impossible task. But a careful and honest assessment of all discretionary accounts yields heartening news. It can be done, I say. It can be done. There is at least this much nonpriority spending we can eliminate. In fact, I would argue that there is much more than $150 to $200 billion. As we move toward the budget and appropriations process, it is imperative that we address the wasteful spending that bloats our Federal budget, as everybody knows. As I have done for the last 3 years, I have again submitted to the budgetary leaders of both Houses of Congress my annual list of discretionary spending cuts for their consideration. These 75 cuts would save the American taxpayer $275 billion over 5 years. Madam Speaker, critics of the balanced budget amendment contend that it would mandate draconian cuts in entitlement programs because our discretionary budget simply just does not offer significant savings. The facts clearly show otherwise. In reality, we continue to fund outdated and duplicative programs that operate in the shadows serving our bureaucracy and special interests rather than the American people we work for. We desperately need to shed some light on these ancient programs.”