Federal agencies have been advised to fix wasteful management problems in the past, but House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young, R-Fla., said Wednesday he is willing to put taxpayers' money where his mouth is.
In a letter to heads of every federal agency, Young and House Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., warned that unless agencies address problems of waste and mismanagement, their funding will be cut.
"We don't expect you to solve the most serious problems overnight. What we do expect are commitments that set a clear course to resolving each problem as soon as practical, with measurable road marks along the way, for which you will be accountable," the letter said.
In the wake of high-profile hearings on campaign finance abuses last year, Burton's committee is focusing on seeking out waste and fraud in federal programs this year. He thinks there's plenty to be found. Burton cited a Department of Housing and Urban Development audit concluding that mismanagement of foreclosed properties costs taxpayers $1 million per day. "And that is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
Young and Burton urged agencies to set goals for fixing management problems in their annual performance plans, which are required by the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act.
The Results Act and other federal management reform laws passed in recent years have given agencies the tools they need to address management problems, Burton and Young wrote.
"We expect you to use these tools vigorously during the next two years to address your problems; you can be assured that we will also use them vigorously to assess your agency's performance," the letter said.
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