Dr. Coburn's Efforts to Reduce Wasteful Washington Spending and Reform the Federal Budget Process
A scorecard of proposals Accepted by Congress
I ran for the Senate, in part, to reduce wasteful Washington, D.C. spending, reprioritize spending to ensure essential needs are not compromised by parochial political interests and to reform the way our government spends money. Our national debt recently surpassed $15 trillion, important programs like Social Security and Medicare are in danger of bankruptcy, our nation is fighting a global War on Terror and we still are paying for costs associated with the most expensive natural disaster in our nation’s history.
Every family in America must make decisions that require prioritizing and financial restraint to meet their financial situation and expect the government to do the same. But politicians in Washington have for too long avoided making tough decisions and have prioritized their next election over the next generation. Clearly this in not the time for business as usual in Washington and the borrow and spend mentality must come to an end if we are to ensure that the next generation of Americans inherit the same standard of living and that our seniors can enjoy financial security during their retirement years.
The following is a summary of the amendments I have offered and the actions I have taken on the Senate floor to reduce wasteful Washington spending and to reform the budget process. While many of these have been unsuccessful — often losing in lopsided votes — I believe it is important not to be discouraged and to continue to press for change and fiscal responsibility in Washington. The future of our country, after all, depends upon it.
Proposals ACCEPTED to save money or reprioritize spending
Total Amount SAVED: At least $129,090,750,000
112th Congress
S.Amdt. 791 to S.Amdt. 738 to H.R. 2112 (Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012), to prohibit the use of funds to provide direct payments to persons or legal entities with an average adjusted gross income in excess of $1,000,000. Additional background: here. The amendment was agreed to by a roll call vote of 84 to 15 on October 21, 2011. Savings: $49 million.
S.AMDT 273 to S. 493 (SBIR/ STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011), to save at least $5 billion by consolidating some duplicative and overlapping government programs. The amendment was agreed to on April 6, 2011 by a 64 to 36 roll call vote. Savings: $5 billion.
S.AMDT 281 to S. 493 (SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011), to save at least $20 million annually by ending federal unemployment payments to jobless millionaires and billionaires. Additional background: here. This amendment was agreed to by a 100 to 0 roll call vote on April 6, 2011. Total savings: $20 million per year.
S. AMDT 64 to S.223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, to rescind funds for so-called orphaned earmarks. Specifically, this amendment rescinds earmarks that remain 90 percent or more unused nine years after being appropriated, with the possibility of holding funds one more year for earmarks the agency head believes will be funded within the following 12 months. This amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on February 17, 2011. Savings: $500 million.
S. AMDT. 80 to S.223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, to limit essential air space to locations that are 100 miles or more away from the nearest medium or large hub airport. The amendment was agreed to by a 65 to 34 roll call vote on February 17, 2011. Savings: nearly $20 million per year.
S. AMDT 81 to S.223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, to limit essential air service to locations that average 10 or more passengers per day. This amendment was agreed to by a voice vote on February 17, 2011. Savings: $30 million per year.
111th Congress
S. AMDT. 3531 to H.R. 1586 eliminates the Community and Regional Choice Program (Alternate Essential Air Service Pilot Program), which makes federal grants available to communities for alternatives to air transportation services such as hiring air taxi services, providing ground transportation or even buying an airplane. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on March 16, 2010. Total savings: Uncertain.
S. AMDT. 3532 to H.R. 1586, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, requires that instead of authorizing $10 million to create management plans for commercial aviation tours of national parks, that these costs be offset by user fees. This amendment saves taxpayers $10 million and was supported by the National Parks Conservation Association. This amendment was accepted by unanimous consent. Savings: $10 million.
S. AMDT. 3538 to H.R. 1586, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, requires the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation Inspector General to jointly conduct an audit of all airports with annual passenger numbers near the threshold level needed to trigger a $1 million automatic subsidy. Several newspaper reports have chronicled how airports have been artificially reaching the threshold number of passenger boardings to qualify for the larger subsidy. This amendment was accepted by unanimous consent. Savings: Potentially millions in the future.
S.AMDT. 3358 to H.R. 4213 (Tax Extenders Act of 2009) requires the Senate to be truthful with taxpayers about its out of control spending and post on its website the total spending approved this year that adds to our deficit and was not paid for by a reduction in spending elsewhere. This amendment was accepted by unanimous consent on March 9, 2010: Roll call vote. Savings: potentially billions in the future as a result of creating public awareness of deficit spending.
S. AMDT. 3539 to H.R. 1586, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, requires that the Federal Aviation Administration examine what it would look like to prioritize federal aviation subsidies based on the annual number of passengers in each airport instead of the current system that arbitrarily awards a large subsidy to each airport with just 10,000 enplanements (or less than 28 passengers per day). This study would also require a comprehensive database of all airports qualifying for this subsidy with a number of statistics for each airport. This amendment was accepted by unanimous consent. Savings: Potentially millions in the future.
S. AMDT. 2585 to H.R.3326 restored $294 million for the Defense Department’s operations and maintenance funding accounts and reduced spending by the same amount for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation accounts, which are the source for the majority of congressional earmarks funded through the Department of Defense appropriations bill. The amendment was agreed to by Unanimous Consent on October 1, 2009. Savings: $294 million.
S. AMDT. 1433 to H.R. 2892 prohibits the payment of bonuses by the Department of Homeland Security to contractors whose performance has been judged to be below satisfactory performance or performance does not meet the basic requirements of a contract. The amendment was approved by voice vote on July 9, 2009. Savings: Undetermined.
S. AMDT. 892 to S. Con. Res. 13 would end taxpayer funded bonuses awarded to contractors and government executives responsible for over budget projects and programs that fail to meet basic performance requirements. The amendment was accepted by unanimous consent on April 2, 2009. Estimated savings: At least $1 billion a year.
S. AMDT. 109 to H.R. 1 removed a $246 million tax earmark for Hollywood movie makers. The amendment was approved by 52 to 45 on February 3, 2009. Roll call vote. Estimated savings: $246 million.
110th Congress
S. AMDT. 649 to H.R. 1591 would strip $2 million from the 2007 emergency supplemental spending bill to fund the creation of an "Education Excellence Program" at the University of Vermont. The amendment was approved by voice vote. Estimated savings: $2 million.
S. AMDT. 3044 to H.R. 1585 would prohibit members of Congress from earmarking federal Defense dollars to specific entities in the form of “no-bid” contracts and non-competitive grants. Earmarked projects would instead be required to undergo competition to determine the entity that will perform any work involved. Potential savings from this amendment will likely be significant, although it is difficult to estimate until the prospective competitions are held.
S. AMDT. 3230 to H.R. 3093 would ensure Department of Justice conference spending does not fund excessive junkets, lavish meals or organizations linked to terrorism. The amendment was approved by voice vote on October 4, 2007. Estimated savings: at least $30 million.
S. AMDT. 3321 to H.R. 3043 would provide additional funding for children’s health care by eliminating a $1 million earmark for a museum dedicated to the 1969 Woodstock concert. A motion to table, or kill, the amendment failed 42-52 on October 18, 2007. Roll call vote. (A YEA vote is to kill the amendment and spend the $1 million on a Woodstock museum and a NAY vote is to support the amendment.) Savings: $1 million.
S. AMDT. 3323 to H.R.304 requires a “report card” on the effectiveness of Department of Education programs and spending. The amendment was approved by unanimous consent. While it is difficult to calculate the total saving of this amendment, it would increase transparency and accountability for how funds are spent by both Congress and the Department of Education.
S. AMDT. 3399 to H.R.3043 eliminates wasteful spending by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and prohibits the agency from purchasing additional rotating pastel lights, zero-gravity chairs, and dry-heat saunas. The amendment was passed by unanimous consent. Estimated savings: at least $390,200.
S. AMDT. 3530 to H.R.2419 limits the distribution to deceased individuals, and estates of those individuals, of certain agricultural payments. GAO states that there were over $1.1 billion in payments to deceased farmers between the most recent seven year period, and estimates that 40 percent of those payments were to people dead more than three years. The amendment was agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. Estimated savings: $400,000,000.
S. AMDT. 3318 to H.R. 3093 would require NASA to post details of all conferences it will sponsor during fiscal year 2008. Specifically the amendment requires NASA to post on its public Web site: the itemized expenses paid by the agency, including travel expenses and any agency expenditure to otherwise support the conference; the primary sponsor of the conference; and the location of the conference. In the case of a conference for which the agency was the primary sponsor, the agency must include a statement that: justifies the location selected; demonstrates the cost efficiency of the location; the date of the conference; a brief explanation how the conference advanced the mission of the agency; and the total number of individuals who travel or attendance at the conference was paid for in part or full by the agency. The amendment was accepted by voice vote October 15, 2007. Savings unknown: NASA does not know how much is spent on conferences.
S. AMDT. 3475 to S. 294 would require Amtrak to implement a new accounting system by providing Congress and the public with transparent financial information on each route and line of service. Specifically this amendment would require Amtrak to post on their website a report that will show financial information on each of Amtrak’s 44 routes and each line of business on those routes. These lines of business include train operations, equipment maintenance, food and beverage service, sleeping cars, ticketing, and reservations. By having this transparent financial data for every area of Amtrak’s operation, Amtrak will be able to make informed decisions on their service and Congress will be able to provide proper oversight for tax payer funded passenger rail. Savings undetermined.
S. AMDT. 3530 to H.R. 2419- Prohibits federal farm assistance for deceased farmers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has paid out over a billion dollars to the estates of farmers after they had passed away. The amendment would prohibit federal agencies from distributing agricultural subsidies to dead farmers. Savings: Combined with all amendments to H.R. 2419 savings will total over $1 billion.
S. AMDT. 3632 to H.R. 2419– The goal of this amendment is simple: To ensure that limited federal agriculture conservation funding is directed to those who make a living from farming and forestry. In other words, the goal is to make sure that farm payments go to farmers. Savings: Combined with all amendments to H.R. 2419 savings will total over $1 billion.
S. AMDT. 3807 to H.R. 2419– Eliminates wasteful spending on golf courses, cheese centers, and aging barns. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has directed tens of millions of dollars in federal assistance towards unnecessary projects, such as golf courses, resorts, and casinos that do not advance this goal. This amendment will help the USDA focus on fulfilling its mission by prohibiting the funding of non-priority projects and activities related to golf courses, resorts, artisanal cheese centers and barn preservation. Savings: Combined with all amendments to H.R. 2419 savings will total over $1 billion.
S. AMDT. 4724 to S. 2284 would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct that would examine the feasibility of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) purchasing private reinsurance (means by which an insurance company can protect itself against the risk of losses with other insurance companies) either in addition to current law regarding reinsurance for NFIP or instead of current law regarding reinsurance for NFIP. This study would be completed within one year of enactment of S. 2284. Since the current system allows NFIP to use the taxpayer as the ultimate reinsurer when claims exceed premiums, the conclusions this study makes have the potential to save taxpayers billions of dollars and could help NFIP become a self-sustainable entity. This amendment was accepted by unanimous consent.
S. AMDT. 4725 to S. 2284 would deny flood insurance premium subsidies to homeowners who refuse to accept an offer of Federal assistance to modify or relocate their property in an effort to minimize future flood damages and costs. Repetitive Loss Properties (RLPs) with flood insurance signify a little over one percent of total flood insurance policies, yet account for 30 percent of total claims on average. This amendment would at the very least phase out subsidies for these properties or ensure that these properties sustain less or no flood damage in the future. While it is difficult to estimate total savings, it is likely this policy will result in anywhere between tens of millions and hundreds of millions in savings. This amendment was accepted by unanimous consent.
109th Congress
S. AMDT. 1241 to H.R. 3057, prohibits funds appropriated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from being used for entertainment expenses. USAID was created to provide humanitarian assistance to those in the developing world, yet the agency has been permitted to spend funds on entertainment for bureaucrats and others. Agreed to by a vote of 59 – 40 on July 19, 2005. Roll call vote. Savings: Undetermined.
S. AMDT. 2087 to H.R. 3058 limits Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding for conferences to $3 million. In 2005 alone, HUD spent $13.9 million on conferences. The agency planned to spend $12,360,010 on conferences in 2006. Agreed to by voice vote on Oct. 20, 2005. Savings: $9.36 million.
S. AMDT. 2230 to H.R. 3010 to limit reduce the Department of Health and Human Services’ funding for travel and conferences by $15 million. In 2005 alone, HHS spent $68.5 million on conferences. Agreed to by unanimous consent Oct. 27, 2005. Savings: $15 million.
S. AMDT. 3641, Division II to H.R. 4939 to strike $15 million for the purpose of promoting sea food consumption. Agreed to by voice vote on April 27, 2006. A motion to table, or kill, the amendment was defeated by a vote of 44—51. Roll call vote: (a YEA vote is to kill the amendment and spend the $15 million on seafood promotion and a NAY vote is to support the amendment). Savings: $15 million.
S. AMDT. 4491 to S.2766, reforms the Defense Travel System (DTS) to a Fee-For-Use-of-Service System. To date, the DTS has cost the taxpayers $474 million (more than $200 million more than it was originally projected to cost) and it is still not fully deployed, has repeatedly failed to find the lowest airfare and is grossly underutilized. This amendment prohibits continued funding of DTS and instead requires the Department of Defense to shift to a fixed price per transaction electronic travel system. Agreed to by voice vote June 22, 2006. Estimated savings: $40 to $50 million.
S. AMDT. 4371 to S.2766, prohibits the Department of Defense from issuing financial awards and incentive fees to contractors with below-satisfactory performance or performance that does not meet the basic requirements of a contract. The Government Accountability Office has found the Defense Department "has issued billions in award and incentive fees regardless of acquisition outcome.” Agreed to by voice vote June 22, 2006. Estimated savings: At least $1 billion.
S. AMDT. 4585 to H.R. 5441 would effectively shut down two-thirds of the nation’s obsolete Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN) stations. The LORAN system, which is based on World War II technology, has been replaced by modern navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System. The nation’s 24 LORAN stations had been scheduled to undergo a $300 million update over the next ten years. The amendment, as modified, was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006. Estimated savings: At least $200 million.
S. AMDT. 4787 to H.R.5631 would cap at $70 million the amount the Defense Department could spend on conferences and conference-related travel. In 2005, the Pentagon spent more than $79 million on conferences. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote on August 3, 2006 after the Senate rejected a motion to table, or kill, this amendment by a vote of 36 to 60. Roll call vote (a YEA vote is to kill the amendment and allow unlimited conference spending and a NAY vote is to support the amendment). Estimated savings: At least $9 million.
BUDGET REFORMS ACCEPTED
111th Congress
S. AMDT. 176 to H.R. 1 requires all contracts, grants and cooperative agreements awarded under the Stimulus to be competitively bid . The amendment was approved by a unanimous roll call vote on February 5, 2009. Roll call vote.
S. AMDT. 309 to H.R. 1 prohibits stimulus money to be spent on casinos, zoos, golf courses, swimming pools, parks, museums, theaters, or highways beautification projects. The amendment was agreed to on February 06, 2009 by 73 - 24. Roll call vote.
S. AMDT. 892 to S. Con Res. 13 would eliminate no-bid government contracts and require all federal contracts over $25,000 to be competitively bid to ensure taxpayers received the best product at the best price. The amendment was accepted by unanimous consent on April 2, 2009.
S. AMDT. 893 to S. Con Res. 13 would direct government officials to go line by line through the federal budget to identify wasteful, inefficient, and duplicative programs that could be eliminated or consolidated. The amendment was accepted by unanimous consent on April 2, 2009.
S. AMDT. 894 to S. Con Res. 13 would set performance standards for all government programs to identify those that are failing. The amendment was accepted by unanimous consent on April 2, 2009.
S. AMDT. 1369 to H.R. 2918 requires the office budget of every Senator to be publicly posted on-line. The amendment was approved by voice vote on July 6, 2009.
S. AMDT. 1811 to S. 1390 requires an annual report on the United State’s contributions to the United Nations, which surpass $5 billion every year, to be posted on a publicly available and searchable Internet Web site. The amendment was agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent on July 23, 2009.
S. AMDT. 1878 to H.R. 3183 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Energy and the Corps of Engineers to the Appropriations Committee. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on September 15, 2009.
S. AMDT. 2377 to H.R. 3288 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development to the Appropriations Committee. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on September 15, 2009.
S. AMDT. 2463 to H.R. 2996 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Interior to the Appropriations Committee. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on September 24, 2009.
S. AMDT. 2563 to H.R. 3326 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Defense to the Appropriations Committee. The amendment was accepted by unanimous consent on October 1, 2009.
S. AMDT. 2757 to H.R. 3082 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Appropriations Committee. The amendment was agreed to by a vote of 93 to 0 on November 16, 2009. Roll Call Vote.
S. AMDT. 3303 Division I to H.J. RES. 45 directs the Government Accountability Office to annually identify federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities, to estimate the cost of such duplication, and to make recommendations to Congress for consolidation and elimination of such duplication. The amendment was approved by a vote of 94 to 0 on January 26, 2010. Roll Call vote.
S. AMDT. 2374 to H.R.3288 requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to report the number of residential homes owned by the Department and the cost to taxpayers to buy, own and maintain the homes. The amendment was agreed to by Unanimous Consent on September 16, 2009.
S. AMDT. 2511 to H.R.2996 requires grants and contracts funded by the 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill be subjected to an open and fair competitive bidding process. The amendment as modified was agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent on September 24, 2010.
S. AMDT. 3358 to H.R. 4213 requires the Senate’s website to post an itemized breakdown of the cost and number of new programs created every year by Congress and the amount added to the national debt as a result of bills passed by Congress. The amendment was agreed to by 100 to 0 on March 9, 2010. Roll Call vote.
110th Congress
S. AMDT. 51 to S.1 prohibits members from requesting earmarks that may financially benefit the senator or immediate family member or staff of that senator, and for other purposes. The amendment was approved by unanimous consent January 18, 2007.
S. AMDT. 922 to S. 761 to promote transparency in the grants process at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The amendment was approved 82-14 April 25, 2007. Roll call vote.
S. AMDT. 2369 to S. 1642 prohibits institutions of higher education from spending taxpayers’ dollars and students’ federally funded educational assistance to hire lobbyists or to pay for lobbying activities. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote on July 24, 2007.
S. AMDT. 2442 to H.R. 2638 prohibits Congress from directing federal funds to specific recipients by requiring all Congressional pork projects to be subjected to open and fair competition using the same process used to award other government grants and contracts. The amendment was approved by voice vote on July 26, 2007.
S. AMDT. 2467 to H.R. 2638 requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to summarize and disclose the information it used in determining a major disaster. The amendment was approved by unanimous consent on July 26, 2007.
S. AMDT. 2773 to H.R. 2764 ensures the U.S. contribution to the United Nations is not being lost to waste, fraud, abuse or corruption by maximizing the transparency of all U.N. spending. The amendment was approved 92-1 on September 6, 2007. Roll call vote.
S. AMDT. 2706 to H.R. 2764 ensures the unprecedented increase in the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is accompanied by an end to secrecy regarding how that money is spent. The amendment would condition 20 percent of the Global Fund money on a certification by the secretary of state that the Global Fund has made all financial and programmatic documents available to the public on a Web site. The amendment was accepted by voice vote September 6, 2007.
S. AMDT. 3318 to H.R. 3093 would require NASA to post details of all conferences it will sponsor during fiscal year 2008. Specifically the amendment requires NASA to post on its public Web site: the itemized expenses paid by the agency, including travel expenses and any agency expenditure to otherwise support the conference; the primary sponsor of the conference; and the location of the conference. In the case of a conference for which the agency was the primary sponsor, the agency must include a statement that: justifies the location selected; demonstrates the cost efficiency of the location; the date of the conference; a brief explanation how the conference advanced the mission of the agency; and the total number of individuals who travel or attendance at the conference was paid for in part or full by the agency. The amendment was accepted by voice vote October 15, 2007.
S. AMDT 3475 to S. 294 requires Amtrak to report to Congress and post on their public Web site a report that will show financial information on each of Amtrak’s 44 routes and each line of business on those routes. These lines of business included train operations, equipment maintenance, food and beverage service, sleeping cars, ticketing, and reservations. This amendment was accepted by the Senate by unanimous consent on October 30, 2007.
109th Congress
S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, establishes an online public search engine and database to track approximately $1 trillion in federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans. Passed by Unanimous Consent in the Senate on September 7, 2006. Passed by the House of Representatives by voice vote September 13, 2006. Signed into law by President Bush on September 26, 2006 and became Public Law No: 109-282.
S. AMDT. 1020 to H.R.2361 expresses the Sense of the Senate that defense spending should not be under funded to support increases in non-defense spending. Agreed to by unanimous consent June 28, 2005.
S. AMDT. 1775 to H.R.2744 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill. Previous Senate procedures allowed the Senate to automatically approve earmarks or special projects included in the House version of an appropriations bill without actually having to be considered or contained within bills or their accompanying reports. Consequently, many earmarks that became law did not even come up for a vote in the Senate. This process was used to essentially hide millions of dollars of spending from public view. Agreed to by a vote of 55 – 39 on Sept. 21, 2005. Roll call vote.
S. AMDT. 1858 to H.R. 2528 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill. Agreed to by voice vote Sept. 22, 2005.
S. AMDT. 1948 to H.R. 2863 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill. Agreed to by voice vote Oct. 5, 2005.
S. AMDT. 2084 to H.R. 3058 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill. Agreed to by unanimous consent Oct. 20, 2005.
S. AMDT. 2190 to H.R. 3058 directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to report specific actions taken to estimate improper payments in the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) as required under the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002. Improper payments, which include inadvertent, fraudulent and irresponsible payments by government agencies, cost the taxpayers more than $45 billion every year. In 2005, funding for CDBG programs was nearly $32 billion. Yet, it failed to report its improper payments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as required by law. Identifying and reporting improper payments are the first essential steps toward eliminating this practice that wastes tens of billions of tax dollars every year. Agreed to by unanimous consent Oct. 20, 2005.
S. AMDT. 2231 to H.R. 3010 requires the report that accompanies the 2006 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act lists all limitations, directives, and earmarks associated with the bill. Agreed to by voice vote Oct. 26, 2005.
S. AMDT. 2234 to H.R. 3010 directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to report specific actions taken to estimate improper payments under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Programs, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and programs and activities under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as required under the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002. These programs combined spend more than $231 billion each year, yet have failed to comply with the law that requires each agency to identify and report the improper payments they make so these errors, which cost the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars every year, can be eliminated. Agreed to by voice vote Oct. 27, 2005.
S. AMDT. 4370 to S.2766 requires an annual analysis of the total cost of earmarks funded through the Department of Defense and an analysis on the effectiveness of each earmark in meeting the goals of the Department of Defense. Agreed to by voice vote June 22, 2006.
S. AMDT. 4562 to H.R. 5441 prevents the secret appropriation of earmarks. The amendment requires that any earmark contained in either the House of Representatives or Senate report accompanying H.R. 4610 be explicitly included in the conference report or joint statement accompanying the bill and not considered as passed if it is not contradicted the other chamber. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.
S. AMDT. 4561 to H.R. 5441 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Homeland Security to the Appropriations Committee, including the justifications of the President’s annual budget request, unless such reports contain information that would compromise national security. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.
S. AMDT. 4590 to H.R. 5441 requires the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to fully comply with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002. Although DHS reported in its fiscal year 2005 that none of its programs were at “significant” risk of making improper payments, preliminary estimates by DHS indicate that millions of dollars were misspent during hurricanes Katrina and Rita. DHS admits that their methodology and testing for improper payments in fiscal year 2005 was not as thorough as it should have been in order to comply with the law. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent on July 12, 2006.
S. AMDT. 4848 to H.R.5631 requires an analysis of the total cost of earmarks funded in 2007 and the effectiveness of each in meeting the goals of the Department of Defense. The amendment was approved by a vote of 96 to 1 on August 3, 2006. Roll call vote.
S. AMDT. 4784 to H.R.5631 requires public disclosure of all reports delivered by the Department of Defense to the Appropriations Committee, including the justifications of the President’s annual budget request, unless such reports contain information that would compromise national security. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote on August 3, 2006.
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