Government Reform

Overview

We live in the greatest nation on earth, and my job is to make sure we preserve America’s promise for future generations. I’m a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (OGR), the main investigative body in the House, and I focus extensively on government reform issues.

My "Fixing Congress" speech in 2011 helped to launch a series of reform measures to cut government waste and eliminate, increase transparency and make the government work better for its citizens. I’m a founding member of the “Fix Congress Now” and “No Labels” groups and have been named a “Problem-Solver” for my commitment to working across the aisle and putting nation before party.

One of my proposed reforms, “No Budget, No Pay” is now the law of the land, and more reform efforts are underway including the launch of a major bipartisan reform package in July. One of my efforts to eliminate wasteful and duplicative programs was approved by the 113th Congress as a rules measure.  I’ve also introduced bipartisan legislation requiring federal agencies to produce an annual a list of their programs and submit it to the Office of Management and Budget so we can identify additional duplicative efforts.

We need more accountability and transparency in our nation’s finances. The Consolidated Financial Report of the United States Government is the most important government financial document because it shows a real picture of our nation’s finances, but most folks don’t even know it exists. It is the only government document that includes liabilities like Medicare and Social Security that are on the country's "credit card" for future payment, and it’s published every year by the Treasury. In 2006, I wrote a foreword to the Financial Report which was published, along with the full report text, and available in bookstores across America. A subcommittee of OGR held a hearing on the 2011 report, and you can watch video of my comments here.

As one of the first members to reject earmarks, I am glad that we again have a ban on earmarks this Congress. But we need a permanent fix, and that's why I'm working on legislation to completely end the practice.

I also continue to support redistricting reform and was proud once again to introduce the Redistricting Transparency Act, which would curb the practice of gerrymandering by letting the public participate in the Congressional redistricting process.

Links & Additional Information

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

U.S. Government Accountability Office

Recovery.Gov

Financial Report of the United States Government