Mike Ross RSS Articles

The Hunt is on for Blue Dog Democrats

Wed, 02 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

By Joseph Cotto

Due to copyright laws, only excerpts are available. To read the column, please visit the Washington Times directly at the link below.

Over the last several years, the media has placed great focus on the fact that moderate Republican politicians are not only becoming a rare breed, but in fact stand ripe for extinction during low-turnout primary races.

As an Eisenhower-Rockefeller Republican myself, this has come as news of only the most unwelcome variety. However, I have also been perplexed that news of centrist Democrats being targeted and defeated in a similar fashion has not been in the news. Last week, said puzzlement waned as two prominent Blue Dogs from Pennsylvania's U.S. House delegation, namely Representatives Tim Holden and Jason Altmire, went down to defeat at the hands of left-leaning, if not outright left-wing, challengers.

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"Redistricting and a broken, polarized Congress have made it tough to be a moderate," Representative Mike Ross of Arkansas, the House's leader of Blue Dog Democrats, observed. Chris Stirewalt, a writer for FoxNews.com, dug a bit deeper: "Three consecutive wave elections have left Americans with the most conservative House since the 1930s, the most liberal president since Lyndon Johnson and the Senate at a standstill. With so little middle ground, voters will face a stark and decisive moment this fall."

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Should our indisputably broken political process ever be placed back together, it will require a strong coalition of unabashed moderates to do so. With the conditions that Ross spoke about, though, this appears to be a feat harder to accomplish now than ever before. What a shame that is.

Full article here: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/conscience-realist/2012/may/2/hunt-blue-dog-democrats/

Rep. Larry Kissell Joins Blue Dog Coalition

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition expanded their ranks in the U.S. House of Representatives today by adding Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., as its newest member. Kissell, first elected in 2008 and who represents the 8th Congressional District in south central North Carolina, brings the group’s total membership to 25.

Kissell of Biscoe, N.C., worked for 27 years in the textile industry and taught for seven years as a high school civics teacher. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Agriculture Committee; a lead supporter of American manufacturing; and, is a fierce advocate for fiscal responsibility in Congress. He is consistently rated as among the most independent Members in the House of Representatives.

“Larry Kissell is not only a true fiscal conservative, but he is also one of the hardest working and most principled leaders I have ever had the privilege of working with in Congress,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. “Throughout his time serving the people of North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District, Larry has fought tirelessly to create jobs, support and protect our troops, and put our nation back on a fiscally responsible path. He has long embodied the values and spirit of the Blue Dog Coalition, and we are excited and honored that he is now officially part of our Blue Dog family.”

“I’ve always said I’m not much of a joiner, but I believe that a strong moderate presence is needed, and that’s why I have joined the Blue Dog Coalition,” said Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C. “Now, more than ever, we must have representatives who are willing to work with both sides of the aisle to get the job done, whether working to create jobs and get our economy back on track or get our fiscal house in order, and it is clear that our moderate message is strongest when we stand together.”

“Larry Kissell has a strong record as a fiscal conservative and is well known for reaching across the aisle to find commonsense solutions. So, Larry becoming a Blue Dog is a natural fit,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. “As the country continues to be pulled apart by the political games of the far left and far right, we need more people like Larry Kissell who will fight for their constituents, stand up for good policy and work with both parties to get the job done. The Blue Dogs will continue to welcome any member who embraces our principles of fiscal responsibility and accountability and our bipartisan, commonsense approach to solving the tough challenges facing this great country.”

“I’m glad that Congressman Kissell is joining the Blue Dog Coalition,” said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. “Congressman Kissell has brought a fiscally responsible and independent voice to Congress since getting elected in 2008, and I look forward to working with him, the Blue Dog Coalition, and all members of Congress to get rid of wasteful spending and get folks back to work.”

“Congressman Kissell is a welcome addition to the Blue Dog Coalition. His record as a fiscal conservative fits in well with our shared goals, and I am confident that he will make meaningful contributions to the group,” said Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip.

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The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Visit the Blue Dog website at http://ross.house.gov/BlueDog to learn more. You can also get up-to-the-minute news updates on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/BlueDogPress.

Blue Dogs Praise Passage, Signing of STOCK Act

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives praised Congress for passing and the President for signing into law today the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act – a legislative initiative the Blue Dogs endorsed back in February.

The STOCK Act would bar Members of Congress, their staff and some federal workers from profiting from non-public information obtained through their jobs. The new law also bans Members and employees of Congress from sharing non-public information about pending legislation that could be used for investment purposes. Finally, the law also imposes stricter disclosure rules that require Members and congressional employees to publicly report stock, bond or futures transactions in excess of $1,000 within 90 days.

The Blue Dog Coalition endorsed the legislation in February and sent a letter on Feb. 1 urging House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to bring the bill to a floor vote “without delay.” The text of that letter is available by clicking here. The bill eventually received overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

“The STOCK Act demonstrates just how effective bipartisanship and public support can be in getting an important piece of legislation quickly passed in Congress,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. “Congress has lost the people’s trust and bills like this will help bring accountability and transparency back to government. In the future, I hope Democrats and Republicans will keep working together in a constructive way – just as they did on this bill – to reform Congress, tackle our deficits and debt, create jobs and get this economy back on track.”

“I’m glad to see this legislation signed into law, because members of Congress are elected to represent the people – not line their own pockets,” said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. “The STOCK Act will stop members of Congress from profiting through insider trading. I’m proud to have been a cosponsor of this common sense, bipartisan legislation that makes our nation’s leaders play by the same rules as the people they represent.”

“The STOCK Act is yet another key piece of legislation the Blue Dogs have stood behind to prevent abuse and restore accountability and trust in Washington,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. “This commonsense legislation takes critical steps to ensure that Members of Congress are being held to the same standards and playing by the same rules as everyone else.”

“In an increasingly partisan Congress, I am pleased that Democrats and Republicans in both chambers were able to come together and pass the bipartisan STOCK Act,” said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip. “Members of Congress should not be able to use any privileged knowledge of non-public information for personal gain, and it is important that we strengthen the disclosure requirements for investments in the stock market. This measure is an important step in restoring the American people’s faith in Congress.”

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Rep. Shuler Deficit Reduction Amendment Met with Bipartisan Support

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

On Wednesday evening during markup of Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget in the House Budget Committee, U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration, offered an amendment calling for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes both spending cuts and tax reform. The amendment received bipartisan support from members of the House Budget Committee, falling just one vote short of passage.

“To responsibly address our fiscal challenges, we need a budget that puts all options on the table and takes a rational, comprehensive approach to deficit reduction,” said Rep. Shuler. “Crafting a balanced budget that puts our country on a long-term fiscally sustainable path cannot be done along party lines, and I was encouraged to see both my Democratic and Republican colleagues come together in a show of support for my amendment. This is a step in the right direction for achieving meaningful, bipartisan compromise down the road.”

Since January 2011, Rep. Shuler has been working to reach a long-term deficit reduction solution with the “Go Big” Coalition, a bipartisan group of more than 150 House and Senate Members from across the political spectrum. Rep. Shuler and other leaders of the “Go Big” Coalition are currently in the process of crafting a comprehensive deficit reduction package based on the recommendations of the Bowles-Simpson Fiscal Commission. This legislation is expected to be completed by early spring.

“Over the past year the ‘Go Big’ Coalition has made tremendous progress in bringing Democrats and Republicans together on the issue of deficit reduction, and last night we saw promising signs that even more Members of Congress are ready to embrace a balanced, bipartisan approach to fiscal reform,” said Rep. Shuler. “I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reach the comprehensive deficit reduction solution we need to put stability back in the economy and move our country forward.”

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Blue Dog Statement on Republican Budget Proposal

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

On behalf of the fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications, issued the following statement today after House Budget Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan unveiled the Republicans’ FY2013 budget proposal.

Statement from Rep. Mike Ross:

“We remain frustrated that neither the President’s budget proposal nor the Republican proposal presented by Mr. Ryan offers bold, substantive solutions that address our long-term debt crisis. The Republican budget offers a lopsided, partisan plan that continues to deficit spend, doesn’t balance the budget until 2040, accumulates more than $3 trillion in debt over the next ten years and turns Medicare into a voucher system increasing costs for seniors.

“Through our involvement in the ‘go big’ effort, the Blue Dogs are actively working with Members of both parties to find a bold, bipartisan and balanced approach to solving this nation’s long-term fiscal crisis and put us on a path to fiscal stability. The election is still more than seven months away, and we have the opportunity and responsibility to come together as Americans, stop the partisan bickering and get our fiscal house back in order.”

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Blue Dogs Build on Bipartisan Efforts to Streamline Government

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Building on their efforts to streamline government and use taxpayer dollars more efficiently, the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives has endorsed a bipartisan bill to reduce waste, fraud, abuse and improper payments in Medicare and Medicaid. H.R. 3399, the Medicare and Medicaid FAST Act, led by Reps. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and John Carney, D-Del., would help the government recoup billions of taxpayer dollars lost every year through fraud, improper payments and inefficiencies in both Medicare and Medicaid.

In Fiscal Year 2010, Medicare paid an estimated $50 billion in improper payments, while both Medicare and Medicaid continue to lose tens of billions dollars every year due to fraud. The FAST Act would primarily help both agencies phase out the practice of “pay and chase” – where agencies pay a claim first and then later attempt to determine if the claim was valid – by establishing stronger fraud and waste prevention strategies. The legislation would also enact stronger penalties for Medicare fraud; curb the theft of physician identities; expand the fraud identification network and reporting work of the Senior Medicare Patrol; take steps to help states identify and prevent Medicaid overpayments; improve the sharing of fraud data across agencies and programs; and, deploy cutting-edge technology to better identify and prevent fraud.

Last month, the Blue Dogs also threw their support behind H.R. 4053, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act (IPERIA), which is a bipartisan effort to better identify, prevent and recover payment error, waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government. The legislation would strengthen a similar improper payments law passed in 2010 that was part of the Blue Dogs’ 2010 Blueprint for Fiscal Reform – a 15-point plan to balance the budget and lay the groundwork for sound fiscal policies over the long term. H.R. 4053 would, among many other provisions, help federal agencies cut down on wasteful spending by creating a government-wide Do Not Pay List to block improper payments before they go out and to stop payments to deceased individuals, such as for Social Security.

“Eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse from Medicaid and Medicare saves money for the American tax payers, while protecting the solvency of Medicaid and Medicare recipients,” said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. “This common sense legislation will stop wasteful spending before it happens, instead of wasting more money to recover wasteful spending after it’s already happened.”

“I applaud the strong bipartisan effort to rid of waste and abuse in our Medicare and Medicaid systems,” said Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility. “This is a good first step in strengthening these programs for America's seniors and saves our country billions of dollars a year in the process.”

“Medicare and Medicaid fraudsters are stealing from taxpayers, so we have to stop Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse,” said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., Vice Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility.

“It makes no sense for Medicare and Medicaid to send out the checks first, and then spend time and money to make sure it went to the right person. They should get it right from the beginning,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. “We’ve got to change the way the government does business through bipartisan, commonsense reforms like the FAST Act. While the Blue Dogs continue their focus on the ‘go big’ effort to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years, we will continue to comb the federal budget to find savings anywhere we can, and we will continue working with both sides to better respect taxpayer dollars.”

“The FAST Act is yet another initiative the Blue Dogs have endorsed to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and save billions of taxpayer dollars every year,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. “Any serious plan to reduce our nation’s $15 trillion debt must include reforms to eliminate unnecessary spending and prevent fraud in entitlement programs. The FAST Act is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that achieves both of these goals, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation.”

“We owe it to the American people to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse within Medicare and Medicaid. Eliminating the need for the flawed ‘pay and chase’ method of payments is another step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly,” said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip.

The Medicare and Medicaid FAST Act is endorsed by AARP, Citizens Against Government Waste, National Taxpayers Union, America’s Health Insurance Providers, National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association and many other tax reform and health care organizations.

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The fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and working to find bipartisan solutions that promote the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Visit the Blue Dog website at http://ross.house.gov/BlueDog to learn more. You can also get up-to-the-minute news updates on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/BlueDogPress.

Outdated Laws and Subsidies - How Did It Get So Bad?

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., Vice Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility

Congressman Jim Cooper writes in The Atlantic about the obsolete laws that are harming Congress and the nation. This article is part of The Atlantic’s new ongoing series, “America the Fixable.”

Would you be surprised to hear that our government is just like a middle-aged American who, having eaten fast food for decades, now faces heart trouble in his golden years? Aging nations have arteries clogged with obsolete laws, slowing blood flow and preventing oxygen from reaching all parts of the body politic. Physicians call this arteriosclerosis; historians see decline of empire.

It happens so slowly and naturally that no one notices. Legislators want to prove that they care about children, seniors, veterans, etc. by creating programs to benefit them. Elected officials are so busy campaigning that they (and their staffs) don't review the statute books to see which programs already exist. They certainly don't check to see which ones are working, and which are not. As a result, each new generation of politicians simply adds another layer of spending and bureaucracy.

Immortality awaits the legislator fortunate enough to have a significant law named after him. Think of Pell grants or Stafford loans for students, Sarbanes-Oxley to regulate Wall Street, or the Hyde Amendment on abortions.

Conversely, there's little or no reward in repealing laws, only the risk of offending people who benefit from the existing programs. Any politician who's ever been re-elected knows that friends come and go; enemies accumulate.

This is why there are dozens, sometimes hundreds of overlapping and duplicative programs for favored constituencies, as opposed to one or two programs that really deliver. This also explains why our laws are so complex that they are becoming almost impossible to understand.

A small but classic example from my jurisdiction on the House Armed Services Committee is the mohair subsidy, which originated post WWII out of concern about the future availability of wool for military uniforms. Today, more than a half century later -- when military uniforms are largely composed of synthetic material -- the program still benefits goat herders in Texas, now under the friendly jurisdiction of the Agriculture Committee. The subsidy was seemingly killed in the mid-90s and again in 2001, but it was resuscitated each time by the loving care of special interests. And while it was defunded again last year, the underlying authorizing legislation remains on the books, ready to revive the subsidy at any moment.

Due to the accumulation of increasingly creaky laws, Congress has lost control of budgeting itself. The vast majority of federal spending is now on automatic pilot, either in the form of mandatory spending ($2.3 trillion, annually) or tax expenditures ($1.3 trillion). Congress could adjourn for a year without slowing spending growth. When in session, we spend 90 percent of our time on the remaining 30 percent of the budget, discretionary spending -- what most people think of as government. Congress has been on autopilot for so long that we have forgotten how to fly the plane with our own hands.

Worse yet, the Ways & Means and Finance Committees have become such leaky buckets that federal revenues have drained to levels not seen since 1950. Congress intended to control spending when it created the first Appropriations Committee in 1865. Congress never dreamed that appropriations would one day be eclipsed by tax loopholes, and direct spending by indirect spending. But because of blinkered, outdated committee jurisdictions, Congress' right hand does not know what its left hand is doing.

Congress seems comfortable with this reduced role. We don't realize that by authorizing entitlement programs -- perpetual mandatory spending -- and hiding some of our biggest expenditures in unaccountable tax loopholes, we have diminished our constitutional duty to appropriate funds (Art. I, Sec. 9). In fact, we hide our biggest problems by keeping them off-budget, exempting ourselves from normal accounting rules. Congress has legalized its own budget blindness.

Very few legislators have ever had to eat their own cooking, to run a business governed by the cumulative weight of the laws and regulations they supported. The most famous example is George McGovern who, after years as a liberal U.S. Senator from South Dakota and an unsuccessful presidential campaign, retired to run an inn in Connecticut. He wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal decrying all the useless regulations that burdened his business. This, of course, delighted his conservative critics but did nothing to lighten the regulatory burden.

How can we force Congress to clean house? Absent a crisis -- the only proven prod to congressional reform -- voters must get tough. Not only should constituents be suspicious of new initiatives and refuse to be seduced by "new and improved" bureaucracies, they should demand that their elected officials be diligent and competent in framing legislation. But today, Congress is a part-time job, with about 90 days a year spent in Washington and 270 days back home, mostly time spent campaigning and fundraising. It is difficult to know what's in your committee's jurisdiction with so little time for hearings and research. It is impossible to be conversant with all the issues facing the nation.

Washington has become so unpopular that, if current trends continue, congressional candidates will run on the platform of never visiting the District of Columbia. Politicians are terrified of losing touch with folks back home but content to be clueless about government's failure to fix real problems.

Congress must reform itself. Why isn't there a committee whose sole purpose is to clean up the federal code -- to repeal or modify the mess that its predecessors have left behind? A few watchdog groups are totaling the cost of measures that today's legislators are co-sponsoring in an effort to curb their appetite, but such efforts should be more comprehensive and visible. Some legislators favor higher-fat legislation more than others, laws that are sure to clog the national arteries for years to come.

Wouldn't it be great to know who they are, and to bust their pork chops?

http://cooper.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=576&Itemid=73

Deficit Reduction Talks Live On

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By Frances Seward

**Because a subscription is required to read the full article, only excerpts of the article are available here so as to respect copyright laws. To read the full article, visit CQ.com or click here.

Two bipartisan groups of lawmakers are working behind the scenes to revive momentum for comprehensive legislation to address the government’s fiscal woes and in particular to chart a course for long-term deficit reduction.

After the mostly abortive budget debates of the past year, which concluded with the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction not reaching agreement, the subject moved to the background. But interest is again picking up.

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House Group Pushing Ahead

Simpson and Heath Shuler, D-N.C., gathered the signatures of more than 100 House lawmakers from both parties on a letter last fall urging the joint deficit reduction panel to “go big” and to propose a $4 trillion package of budget savings. “To succeed,” the group wrote, “all options for mandatory and discretionary spending must be on the table.”

Those two lawmakers are now leading a working group of six to 10 House members that is drafting deficit reduction legislation. Specifics about their plan have not been released, but it is expected to follow the contours of previous efforts by calling for a combination of mandatory and discretionary spending cuts, coupled with a revenue-raising overhaul of the tax code.

Although the leaders of the effort in the House are regarded as moderates, the larger coalition of lawmakers who backed the “go big” approach came from across the political spectrum, including those who would not usually count themselves as fiscal conservatives.

The real question, said Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., the chairman of the Blue Dog Coalition’s Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility who has been involved in the recent talks, is how many of those lawmakers will get behind the legislation once it is drafted.

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‘Critical Decision’ to be Made

The House group is in contact with the Senate gang. And, although the two groups decided they could not logistically meet as one, they are sharing ideas. The unique characteristics of the two chambers might lead to differences in the legislation. But those involved say they share the same framework and goals for cutting the deficit.

The timing of when the legislation might be introduced is also uncertain. The House is expected to consider a budget resolution by April, but it is unlikely to contain a broad deficit reduction plan that can gain support from both parties. And the Senate Budget Committee might mark up a budget resolution spelling out a plan for deficit reduction, but leaders have said it will not be considered on the floor.

The most likely scenario is that a debate over the deficit will occur in a post-election, lame-duck session as lawmakers wrestle with several complicated fiscal issues.

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Backers of the continuing efforts say one goal is to prepare their colleagues early for the difficult decisions ahead, in hope that the next big fight will yield a resolution.

Link to full article: http://www.cq.com/doc/news-4039467

A version of this article appeared in the March 5, 2012 print issue of CQ Today
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Blue Dogs Endorse No Budget, No Pay Act

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives has endorsed a bill by Blue Dog Rep. Jim Cooper, D- Tenn., that would require Congress to pass a budget before Members of Congress could get paid. The No Budget, No Pay Act, H.R. 3643, would require Congress to pass its budget and all appropriations bills by October 1st of every year, the start of the nation’s fiscal year. If Congress fails to pass both a budget and all of its appropriations bills on time, then Members of Congress will not get paid until they do so. The law would also prohibit retroactive pay for missed paychecks.

The No Budget, No Pay Act would take effect February 1, 2013, thereby only applying to future Congresses and not violating the 27th Amendment. The bill currently has 30 cosponsors split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has introduced similar legislation in the Senate, and the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill on March 14.

Congress has not adopted a budget for more than 1,000 days. Over the past 36 years, Congress has passed its appropriations bills on time only four times, and it has failed to pass its appropriations bills on time for the 15th straight year.

“Americans don’t get paid if they don’t do their jobs, so why should Congress? The Blue Dogs have endorsed my bipartisan bill because it’s a step toward restoring Americans’ faith in our government,” said Cooper, who also serves as Vice Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility.

“In the last six decades Congress has passed a budget a mere four times," said Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility. “If this body can't find a way to do what we have been sent here to do by the American people, which is to cut spending and reduce our nation's outrageous $15 trillion deficit, then we don't deserve to get paid.”

“This bill is about accountability, fiscal responsibility and commonsense. If Congress can’t work together and do its job, then it shouldn’t get paid,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. “We can’t keep operating on continuing resolutions and short-term fixes and we can’t keep pointing fingers at the other side. The Blue Dogs stand ready and willing to work with both parties to get the job done in a fiscally responsible way and to hold Members of Congress accountable to their actions.”

“Developing a budget that can pass the House, Senate, and be signed into law by the President is the most basic part of our job in Congress, and we shouldn’t get paid if we don’t do our job,” said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. “The No Budget, No Pay Act will force Congress to make the tough choices necessary to build a bipartisan budget – rather than revert to the blind partisanship that’s failed to produce a budget for the American people year after year.”

“Families and small businesses across the country operate on a budget, and it is time for Congress to start doing the same thing if we are serious about getting our fiscal house in order,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. “The American people have elected us to do the job of governing this country, and that includes passing a full budget and appropriations bills on time. If we are not doing our jobs, we should not be rewarded with a paycheck. It’s that simple.”

“The Congress has failed its obligation to the American people by not passing a budget,” said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip. “We need to follow the example of families across the nation who have to balance their checkbooks and pay their bills on time. To get on this path of fiscal responsibility, we must have a framework. This legislation will force members of Congress to do the right thing and pass the budget.”

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Blue Dogs Back Bipartisan Bill to Cut Wasteful Spending

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON – The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives has endorsed a bipartisan bill to better protect taxpayer dollars by reducing waste, fraud and abuse within federal spending. On Friday, Reps. Edolphus “Ed” Towns, D-N.Y.; Todd Platts, R-Pa.; Gerald Connolly, D-Va.; and, Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility, introduced H.R. 4053, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act (IPERIA), a bipartisan effort to better identify, prevent and recover payment error, waste, fraud and abuse within federal spending.

This legislation builds on a similar improper payments law passed last year, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010, which was part of the Blue Dogs’ Blueprint for Fiscal Reform – a 15-point plan to balance the budget and lay the groundwork for sound fiscal policies over the long term.

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), federal agencies reported an estimated $125.4 billion in improper payments in FY2010. Among many other provisions, this new bill will help federal agencies cut down on wasteful spending by creating a government-wide Do Not Pay List to block improper payments before they go out and to stop payments to deceased individuals, such as for Social Security.

“In an era of trillion dollar deficits, it is inefficient and irresponsible for the government to only be recovering improper federal payments after the fact,” said Schrader, Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility. “This legislation takes a proactive approach in saving taxpayer dollars by giving federal agencies the tools they need to prevent improper payments. I thank Ranking Member Towns and Chairman Platts for working with the Blue Dogs to introduce this legislation to help us further balance our budget and get rid of the waste, fraud and abuse that plague government spending.”

“The government needs to slim down, and it’s common sense to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent correctly. Every household in America pays bills by sending a check to the right person for the right amount – our government should be no different,” said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., Vice Chair of the Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility.

“We don’t need more government, we need smarter, more efficient government,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. “The government is stuck in a 20th century way of doing things. We need to give federal agencies the resources to be more responsible with taxpayer dollars and that’s exactly what this bill does. The Blue Dogs helped pass a law last Congress to reduce waste, fraud and abuse and we’re continuing that work by backing this bipartisan effort to cut wasteful spending. The Blue Dogs will continue to work with both Democrats and Republicans as we find commonsense solutions to make this nation more fiscally responsible and more accountable to the American people.”

“This common sense legislation simply requires federal agencies to make sure the federal government sends the correct amount of money to the correct people,” said Rep. John Barrow D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. “That way we stop wasteful spending before it happens, instead of wasting more money to recover wasteful spending after it’s already happened.”

“With our exploding $15 trillion national debt, we simply cannot afford to allow tens of billions of taxpayer dollars go to waste because of poor financial management practices by federal agencies,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. “By creating a more effective system to prevent and recover improper payments, this commonsense legislation will help protect taxpayer dollars and improve accountability in the federal government.”

“This legislation is an important step towards bringing our fiscal house back under control,” said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip. “In 2010, the Federal Government reported nearly $125.4 billion in improper payments. This is unacceptable given our current deficit levels. This bill will help us better detect and prevent these improper payments so that taxpayer dollars go where they are intended.”

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