Dan Burton: “the legislative branch appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998 cuts the funding level for the General Accounting Office…”

“the legislative branch appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998 cuts the funding level for the General Accounting Office by $9 million from the fiscal year 1997 funding level. This cut is unwise and unfair and should be reversed in Conference. Two years ago, the GAO and House and Senate Appropriators reached an agreement on a two-year plan to reduce GAO's budget. As part of that agreement, GAO's budget has been reduced by 25 percent and its staffing has dropped below 3,500--its lowest level in almost 60 years. These cuts have taken a heavy toll. Hiring and promotions have been frozen for a long time. Staff reductions have diminished expertise in key areas. And needed investments in information technology have been placed on hold. Additional cuts now are not only a violation of that agreement, they will result in a loss of morale and a further loss in staff expertise as the agency's future is cast in doubt. Instead of pursuing this foolish course of action, the House should have honored the agreement over funding for the GAO. It could easily have made up for the revenue difference by refusing to fund the Government Reform and Oversight's partisan witch-hunt into campaign fundraising practices. The budget for that 'investigation' is an extravagant waste of taxpayers' money. The Senate is doing a better, and fairer, job while the House's investigation is in a shambles.”