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Budget & Spending

BUDGET & SPENDING

Iowans sent me to the Senate with a specific mission: Make Washington Squeal. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing as your senator.

I am constantly working to find ways to eliminate waste and to make the federal government more efficient. I introduced the Cost Openness and Spending Transparency (COST) Act, which requires every project supported with federal funds to include a price tag with its cost to taxpayers. I’ve successfully forced the Department of Defense to do this, but I won’t stop until all our federal agencies have this simple transparency requirement. I also introduced the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, which requires the Executive Branch to submit to Congress an annual report listing every government-funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget or five years or more behind schedule. This measure passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee unanimously and part of the bill was signed into law to force accountability over transportation infrastructure projects.

In addition, just like hardworking families all across Iowa and this country do every day, I believe that the federal government should balance its own budget. America is $30 trillion in debt; our children and grandchildren deserve better than uncontrolled spending and more debt from Washington piled onto their future. That is why I have long supported a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which would set a framework to cut out-of-control spending and put Congress on the right path toward restoring fiscal responsibility in Washington. I also introduced the Providing Reports on Inflation Costs and Economic Impact (PRICE) Act that would require all federal spending legislation to include an inflation impact report on prices and paychecks to force Congress to understand the impact of reckless spending.

As your senator, you can be sure I will continue to work in Congress to protect taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.