Report finds hundreds of duplicative government programs, costing billions

The federal government could save billions in taxpayer dollars annually by consolidating duplicative government programs, according to a new report.

The newly-released report from the Government Accountability Office "makes us all look like jackasses," Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) told reporters Monday night.

The conservative senator said the report -- which identifies redundancies in more than 546 individual programs -- reveals why the United States is $14 trillion in debt.

"Anybody who says we don't look like fools up here hasn't read the report," he said.

The report is the product of President Obama's executive order calling for a government-wide review of federal regulations. At the time, the president said the regulatory review would seek to eliminate rules that stifle job creation, are redundant, or are just "plain dumb."

The GAO reviewed 34 areas (among them agriculture, defense and social services) where agencies, offices or initiatives have similar or overlapping objectives. The report also looked at 47 additional cost-saving opportunities related to more general government efficiency. For instance, the report said, "Improved corrosion prevention and control practices could help [the Defense Department] avoid billions in unnecessary costs over time."

Addressing duplicative efforts on even a single issue could save billions, the report found. For instance, the GAO says the government could save up to $5.7 billion annually by addressing potentially duplicative policies designed to boost domestic ethanol production. Additionally, the Defense Department could save $460 million annually by making broader changes to the governance of its military health care system.

The report finds that there are 15 agencies involved in food safety, 80 programs involved in economic development and more than 100 involved in surface transportation. There are 10 agencies and 82 programs involved in teacher quality, and more than 20 agencies and about 56 programs involved in financial literacy efforts. There are about 2,300 investments across the Defense Department to modernize its business operations.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said today that in order to foster long term economic growth, "we're going to deal with the pressing issues of regulatory waste in our agencies, as well as long term issues facing our country with entitlement programs."

Mr. Obama sought to highlight the need for greater government efficiency in his State of the Union address with a joke about the multiple agencies involved in regulating salmon.

"The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they're in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them while they're in salt water," he said. "I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked."

Watch the joke below:

[culturechang]

Now we are getting to the heart of the problem.

[olbabee]

Like someone didn't know they were there all the time? Right........

[guest173]

it's nice to have a president who would think to look into these things rather than what so many others love to do, ignore, stick head in sand and keep going on with the cherade. Bush didn't do us any favors with his budget mess contributions, he started out with a huge surplus never before seen in our budget history, republicans have little credibility when it comes to budgets!!!!!!!!

[patocc123]

Explain how the surplus came about and what policies enabled it. If you do that research you will find out that your posts is just another copy/past rhetoric with no purpose other than bashing/promiting political parties.

[Empire--George---]

Hey clown, who do you think gave Clinton that supposed "surplus" ? The Republican Congress (1994 term).....so thank them.

Why did he take 2 years to discover the waste ? oh, right....he just got shellacked by the Republicans and the American people woke up....so NOW he cuts waste, not before...but after the shellacking....interesting

[leftfreedomring]

Here is the common ground both sides can work from. There is waste in everyone's favorite programs - plenty of cuts to go around. Address the redundancies in Education but also re-evaluate unecessary millitary spending. Like - why do we still have troops in Germany? Can't Europe defend themselves YET?

[LIBERALS-lie]

In California we had CHP and state police. Now they are one agency (CHP). I know that we could eliminate many agencies and still "get services".

[steamed2]

The problem really lies with all you Democrats and Repubs. You're all dumb enough to keep fighting each other, and doing exactly what 'special interest' big money wants you to do. Lobbyists are the 'bag-men' delivering the loot to Congress, meanwhile their propaganda machine keep you at each others throats so you won't notice what's really going on. How many times in the past sixty years has the 'color' of Congress changed from red to blue and back again? This has never changed anything, and why should it? It's irrelevant! Take a good look at the Congressional Record, the bribe money is split almost 50-50 between both parties. Who failed to reign in Credit Default Swaps in 1997, who voted for the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 to repeal the Glass-Steagle Act and deregulated banking and Wall Street, who voted for the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, who allowed the SEC to release the major investment houses from the 'net capital rule' in 2004? YOUR Congress, most of who are still there today! They have even convinced voters there is no one to hold responsible for the biggest crime ever committed in U.S. history, AND YOU ALL BOUGHT IT, HOOK LINE AND SINKER! IT'S ALL THERE IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IT LOOK! Do you even know what these laws were? Not a clue, right? Well, they are just some of the major players that caused the financial collapse, and your Congress voted for them all, Democrats and Republicans alike. If you actually researched any of this, you would know you can't trust either party or any of your elected crooks. They're bought and paid for.

[TheAbidingDude]

I can't think of many private sector operations that don't have the same issue--- Maybe it's endemic to humans. If you don't think you pay for redundancy in private corporations think twice and ass a 100% prifit above the waste.

[CarloCaraluzzo]

steamed2 have you bothered to actually read the comments here and on other news sites? Our founding fathers said over and over again that we need to WATCH our elected representatives. Does anyone do this? Nope. What they do is listen to what their respective parties tell them to do and they do it unquestioningly. I have a website, ithinkrevolution.com dedicated to free speech. My only rule is that if you make a statement, support and document it. It is VERY hard to get anyone who wants to meet those terms. All they want to do is throw out baseless accusations (Obama is a Muslim, Communist, Socialist, terrorist, memberof Al Quada, not a citizen, democrats are refusing to work with republicans while republicans are circulating a letter pledging to deny all bills sponsored by the president or democrats just because it is their bills.) and on and on and on.
The Congressional Record contains FACTS and facts will shatter the illusion that politicians give a damn what voters think. Americans are a lazy people, they would MUCH rather listen to what one group says than actually do the work to check out what they say. This is not the fault of the politicians, or the corporations and banks. It is the fault of American voters who put them into office time and again, regardless of their performanance.

[grovesd]

Having worked in a federal agency for 10 years as a contractor I can report that our government has absolutely no issue with launching overlapping programs or multiple programs with diametrically opposing objectives. What's more, although the program may legitimately require a 4-6 year effort, government leadership will be turned over at least 3 times during that period ensuring that no one in charge actually knows what the program's original purpose and objectives were. Therefore, the program results in NOTHING of any sustained value.

The GAO is the watch dog on these programs and allows many of them to survive beyond the point that the GAO finds them troubled and out of control. The GAO should shut more programs down faster!!!

[loginos]

Comments about cutting many federal programs should focus on sending the programs back to the states. What is wrong about sending our federal program dollars to Washington, having the Fed skim off 30-40 percent and then send what is left back to the states?

[olebasiclady]

Absolutely NOTHING is wrong with that, except maybe your percentages. I wouldn't even begin to know what percentage of our taxes would be feasible for the Feds to keep up a suitable military and defense, have administrative funds for running the Constitutional part of the Fed. government, and for tax collections.

Every dollar after those (conservative) costs SHOULD be returned to the states, or better yet, never collected by the Feds.

[culturechang]

Often times, they tax you at a federal level, then force your state and local govt to change its laws and policies or not get the federal money back. You are being extorted.....with your money.

[loginos]

Comments about cutting welfare should focus on sending welfare back to the states. What is wrong about sending our welfare dollars to Washington, having the Fed skim off 30-40 percent and then send what is left back to the states?

[loginos]

Comments about cutting education should focus on sending education back to the states. What is wrong about sending our education dollars to Washington, having the Fed skim off 30-40 percent and then send what is left back to the states?