Media Center

This week, the House passed two bipartisan bills to eliminate approximately $125 billion annually in waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending.  The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (H.R. 3393) would reduce the estimated $98 billion in improper payments that occur when a federal agency pays too much or pays twice for a product or service.  The House also passed H.R. 5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act, which cleans up defense acquisition spending.  The bill saves taxpayers an estimated $27 billion a year and expedites process to get the necessary equipment to our troops.   

“I supported these bills to stop wasteful government spending,” said Congressman Scott.  “Families in my district expect that their government work efficiently.  There is no excuse to waste the taxpayer’s money.”

H.R. 3393 will help save taxpayer dollars by reining in wasteful overpayments from the federal government to individuals, organizations and contractors.  This bill also puts in place more rigorous thresholds for when programs must be scrutinized for payment errors and expands the authority of Federal agencies to use private sector auditors to find and recapture government overpayments.  Further, it dramatically increases transparency and accountability in government spending.

H.R. 5013 will clean up waste, fraud and abuse in the defense acquisition system through four key common-sense reforms:  building a better accountability system, improving the management of the acquisition workforce, creating an auditable financial management system at DOD, and expanding and strengthening the industrial base to enhance competition and gain access to more technology. It will make sure that the men and women who are risking their lives to protect our country get the proper equipment they need sooner. 

The President has also cut waste by executive order.  Last November, the President issued an Executive Order to curb improper payments by boosting transparency, holding agencies accountable, and creating strong incentives for compliance.  And this March he signed an order calling on all federal agencies to launch tough audits to recover some of the money lost to improper payments last year. 
 
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