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Sen. Cornyn Seeks To Strengthen Accountability Of Taxpayer Dollars

Says Establishment of a Sunset Commission, Similar to Texas, Would Eliminate Wasteful Federal Programs

WASHINGTON—Despite opposition by Senate Democrats today to his efforts aimed at eliminating wasteful federal spending, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said today that targeting wasteful spending and strengthening accountability for taxpayers will continue to be a top priority for him in the Senate.

The Senate today defeated an amendment offered by Senator Cornyn to a $50 billion global AIDS funding bill, which would have created a federal Sunset Commission charged with improving oversight and eliminating wasteful spending in federal programs authorized under the bill. The amendment was modeled after the sunset process that the state of Texas instituted in 1977, which has eliminated over 50 agencies and saved state taxpayers more than $700 million.

“Creation of a sunset commission would force Congress to answer a simple but yet powerful question which too often goes ignored in Washington: ‘Is a program still needed?’ Many programs are funded year after year because there are small—but vocal—interest groups backing them—and no effective Congressional oversight to determine when ideas have run their course. Programs that outlive their usefulness or fail to spend tax dollars efficiently are a burden on the American taxpayer and must be eliminated,” Sen. Cornyn said today.

“The Sunset Commission in my home State of Texas, and a number of states, has been enormously effective in looking across the state government to reduce waste and inefficient programs. It’s time the federal government provided equal oversight of our massive and growing federal bureaucracy,” Sen. Cornyn said.

“While I would like to see a Sunset Commission established to oversee every federal program, the amendment I offered today was more narrowly tailored to oversee the new programs established under the AIDS funding bill. Yet, Senate Democrats still opposed it. One is left to wonder at what point this Congress will finally take steps to strengthen accountability of how our tax dollars are being spent. Despite their opposition today, I will continue to work to ensure that every dime sent by taxpayers to Washington, DC is spent wisely,” Sen. Cornyn concluded.

BACKGROUND:

The Cornyn amendment would have created an eight member bipartisan Commission, made up of four Senators and four Representatives that will look at the effectiveness and efficiency of federal programs and agencies. The bill is modeled after the sunset process that the state of Texas instituted in 1977 to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiency in government agencies. This process has led to the elimination of dozens of agencies that have outlived their usefulness and has saved Texas taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Currently, about half of the states have instituted a similar process.

A recent 83-page report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that Congress spent just under $160 billion in 2006 on programs and activities—even though their authorization had expired.

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

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