Dan Coats: “I am here today to identify yet another installment of the ``Waste of the Week.'' We have been doing this now for…”

“I am here today to identify yet another installment of the ``Waste of the Week.'' We have been doing this now for several weeks, trying to save taxpayers' dollars out of documented waste of their dollars when they send them to Washington. In recent weeks, I have highlighted examples of waste, some big some small. To date, we have documented over $47 billion of taxpayer funds that have gone to duplication of effort, simply gone to things the Federal Government never should have been involved in in the first place, examples of fraud, abuse--$47 billion and climbing on our tax savings gauge here which is approaching now $50 billion. Our goal is $100 billion. We are going to keep going as we discover each week yet another waste of taxpayer dollars. This week's ``Waste of the Week'' involves the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, also known as FECA. This law was enacted in 1916-- well intended, I think, to provide workers' compensation benefits to civilian Federal employees who sustained injuries while employed by the Federal Government and includes funds for vocational rehabilitation and medical benefits. As I said, it was well intended at the time, providing a lifeline for people injured on the job to keep these people afloat financially until they are ready to go back to work.…”