Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) recently presented another monthly installment highlighting Washington’s wasteful spending.
This month he looked at the “use it or lose it week” that many government agencies run across in late September.
As the fiscal year winds down throughout September, if there are any funds left in the coffers, they must be spent or the agency loses those funds. Furthermore, if it is noticed that the agency is running in the black, their funding may be reduced in the next budget, giving them even more incentive to spend the monetary reserves.
Portman likened this practice to another round of wasteful spending and pointed to a Washington Post investigation that looked at government agencies at the end of the 2013 fiscal year. The investigation found that the State Department spent $40,937 on furniture, including lounge chairs; the Department of Veterans Affairs bought more than $500,000 worth of art; and the IRS produced an expensive “Star Trek”-themed video to highlight a pricey employee retreat.
“Every tax dollar Washington spends represents one fewer dollar for a hardworking family who paid that tax,” Portman said. “Washington must become more efficient and focus on saving tax dollars rather than trying to justify unnecessary new spending.”