On the recordJuly 15, 2010
Last week I attended the Big Butler Fair in Butler County and the Grange Fair in Mercer County in western Pennsylvania, and what was the number one question my constituents asked? "What are you doing about the deficit?" I visited senior centers in Hermitage and Erie, and what did our seniors say to me? "Stop the unnecessary spending." Today I'm proud to tell my constituents that we are taking action. We are cutting wasteful, unnecessary government spending to the tune of $98 billion. That's how much Federal agencies spent in improper payments and overpayments in 2009; $98 billion is how much we stand to gain with the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act. This bill will save taxpayer funds and increase transparency by making Federal agencies accountable for the money they spend. I'm telling my constituents right now, we are cutting wasteful spending, and we have a powerful new tool to do it.
