March 9, 2023
Dear Members of Congress,
Independent Women’s Voice, which fights for policies that enhance people’s freedom, opportunities, and well-being, is proud to support the Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act, sponsored by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
If enacted, the USA Act will put unauthorized federal programs on a pathway to sunset in three years. It will also create a Spending Accountability Commission (SAC) to establish an authorization schedule for all discretionary programs, conduct a review of all mandatory spending programs, and assist Congress in finding ways to cut spending. This will increase government accountability and reign in unnecessary federal spending, preventing the waste and misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Unauthorized spending is the money spent by federal agencies that have no authorization from Congress. To ensure that money is being spent well, funding for these programs should be reviewed periodically. And if Congress does not have the time to periodically review a program, then it is not worth taxpayer funding.
The USA Act could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. In fiscal year 2020, the Congressional Budget Office calculated $332 billion in federal funding being spent despite their original Congressional authorizations having expired. This means that the government needlessly spent billions of dollars on programs that were most likely intended to operate and be funded for a limited period of time.
IWV is proud to support the Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act and thanks Representative McMorris Rodgers for her leadership on this important issue. Given that our federal debt is soaring to unprecedented and alarming levels, it is more critical than ever that we work to eliminate wasteful spending and protect taxpayers. We urge all members of Congress to work toward the bill’s swift passage and take a meaningful step toward restoring fiscal accountability in government.
Respectfully,
Hadley Heath Manning
Vice President for Policy
Independent Women’s Voice