Suggestions for cutting federal waste

Suggestions for cutting federal waste

Mr. Teune’s Aug. 10 letter directs his frustration with the “Republican Party created budget cuts — commonly referred to as sequestration.” I can appreciate Mr. Teune’s frustration that some cuts may impact some of his interests such as viewing the National Weather Service Marine Web page which seems not to be available.

However, it should be noted that “sequestration” was an idea that came from the White House and is not Republican Party created. As The Washington Post had reported: The White House put together the plan for sequester, using language from a congressional law approved 25 years ago.

The president has the opportunity to direct his staff to find appropriate spending reductions that would not negatively impact everyday operations of the federal government and limit the impact on Americans. Regretfully, Mr. Obama seems to refuse to lead on this issue. So, here are some suggestions of areas to cut federal spending:

Ÿ Nidal Hasan, the admitted Fort Hood shooter, has been paid more than $270,000 by the U.S. government since the Nov. 5, 2009, mass shooting that left 13 dead and 32 injured.

Ÿ The Wall Street Journal reports nearly half of the six million people who received free cellphones and communications services through the government-funded Lifeline program last year apparently were ineligible or did not respond to certification requests. The government spent about $2.2 billion on the program last year alone.

Ÿ The Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $141,450 grant under the Clean Air Act to fund a Chinese study on swine manure.

I would suggest that everyone should write to Congress and demand that they spend our tax dollars more responsibly and within a balanced budget. After all the federal government is now $17 trillion in debt.

David Georgeson

St. Charles