Bonuses for Cutting Costs?

Republican senatorial candidate George Allen expressed faith in the federal workforce as a source for cost-savings ideas during his debate against Democrat Tim Kaine Thursday in Fairfax, Va.

Asked by NBC News 4 Virginia bureau chief Julie Carey whether he would support any revenue in a budget deal, Allen launched into a list of alternative ways to reduce the deficit and avoid automatic cuts that cost defense industry jobs.

“There are a lot of things that can be done to get our fiscal house in order,” he said. “First, we need to would repeal and replace Obamacare. That will save over $1 trillion in spending that’s harmful for businesses,” he said. “Then we ought to cut out and look at places where there’s redundancy in government—the Government Accountability Office has put that forward. And we ought to embrace the ideas that have come from federal employees and reward them with bonuses for cost savings ideas.”

And the long-term solution, Allen continued, “is not these band-aids but a balanced budget amendment.”