By Alan Caruba
No wonder Democrats are sweating bullets over proposed cuts to the spending that has been the hallmark of their party and politics for decades. This list, taken from a recent issue of U.S. News & World Report provides an insight to the many ways fiscal sanity can be restored.
These are some of the programs that the Republican House has proposed cutting.
* Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy -- $445 million annual savings.
* Save America 's Treasures Program -- $25 million annual savings.
* International Fund for Ireland -- $17 million annual savings.
* Legal Services Corporation -- $420 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Arts -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Humanities -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* Hope VI Program -- $250 million annual savings.
* Amtrak Subsidies -- $1.565 billion annual savings.
* Eliminate duplicating education programs -- H.R. 2274 (in last Congress),
authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 such programs at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
* U.S. Trade Development Agency -- $55 million annual savings.
* Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy -- $20 million annual savings.
* Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding -- $47 million annual savings.
* John C. Stennis Center Subsidy -- $430,000 annual savings.
* Community Development Fund -- $4.5 billion annual savings.
* Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid -- $24 million annual savings.
* Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half -- $7.5 billion annual savings
* Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20% -- $600 million annual savings.
* Essential Air Service -- $150 million annual savings.
* Technology Innovation Program -- $70 million annual savings.
* Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program -- $125 million annual savings.
* Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization -- $530 million annual savings.
* Beach Replenishment -- $95 million annual savings.
* New Starts Transit -- $2 billion annual savings.
* Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts -- $9 million annual savings
* Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants -- $2.5 billion annual savings.
* Title X Family Planning -- $318 million annual savings.
* Appalachian Regional Commission -- $76 million annual savings.
* Economic Development Administration -- $293 million annual savings.
* Programs under the National and Community Services Act -- $1.15 billion annual savings.
* Applied Research at Department of Energy -- $1.27 billion annual savings.
* Freedom CAR and Fuel Partnership -- $200 million annual savings.
* Energy Star Program -- $52 million annual savings.
* Economic Assistance to Egypt -- $250 million annually.
* U.S. Agency for International Development -- $1.39 billion annual savings.
* General Assistance to District of Columbia -- $210 million annual savings.
* Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority -- $150 million annual savings.
* Presidential Campaign Fund -- $775 million savings over ten years.
* No funding for federal office space acquisition -- $864 million annual savings.
* End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
* Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act -- More than $1 billion annually.
* IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget -- $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
* Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees -- $1 billion total savings.
* Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees -- $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
* Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of -- $15 billion total savings.
* Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.
* Eliminate Mohair Subsidies -- $1 million annual savings.
* Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- $12.5 million annual savings
* Eliminate Market Access Program -- $200 million annual savings.
* USDA Sugar Program -- $14 million annual savings.
* Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) -- $93 million annual savings.
* Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program -- $56.2 million annual savings.
* Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs -- $900 million savings.
* Ready to Learn TV Program -- $27 million savings.
* HUD Ph.D. Program.
* Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
TOTAL SAVINGS:
$2.5 Trillion over Ten Years
I would add the elimination of the U.S. contribution to the budget of the United Nations. There is no reason why decisions regarding our national security and sovereignty should be subordinated to the UN. The humanitarian work undertaken by UN agencies can be done just as well, if not better, by independent international organizations.
© Alan Caruba
And that's the tip of the iceberg!
ReplyDeleteI read that both Senate and House Committees have highlighted upwards of 70 billion per year of waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare/Medicaid programs.
ReplyDeleteIf they know about it, why don't they stop it?
@Daniel. Politics!
ReplyDeleteAnother big savings would be to bring all branches of the military home, shut down all the over seas bases, cancel all military supply and equipment contracts. Keep a small standing army and send the rest of those boys to the house. I know this not a very popular idea with any self-respecting Republican. The industrial military complex is self serving.
ReplyDeleteAll of these programs are in some senator or Reps backyard. Can you imagine getting this done. It would be great if they finally cared about this wonderful country our forefathers left us, but they are crooked as hell and rich off us. We need term limits to begin with.
ReplyDelete@Moe. That's the same as saying a city should fire all its police. It wouldn't take long for anarchy to occur.
ReplyDeleteWhat?
ReplyDeleteThe EPA would be allowed continued existence?
"Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho - the anti-industrial EPA has to go!"
2.5 Trilion over 10 years. Thats 250 Billion each year (avg...a new aircraft carrier for the Navy is about 6-8 Billion dollars over a 5 year build period).
ReplyDeleteWhile that still leaves us running a deficit every year, it is one great start. And as time goes on an people start to get back to work and the economy recovers you end up with Billions more saved in no longer cutting unemployment checks AND Billions more added in new tax revenue from all the new workers.
Moe is a Ron Paul guy, take bets on it...
ReplyDeleteCut the budget? Cut it hell, hit it with a chainsaw..
I would add on Rand Paul's proposed budget cuts. A few of my own suggestions.
ReplyDelete*Sell the TVA
*Eliminate Section 8
*Phase out WIC, Food Stamps, EBT cards
*Eliminate the EPA
*Eliminate the Dept. of Education