CAGW Blasts Washington for Projected $480 Billion Deficit; 'Congress Has Betrayed the American People,' Schatz Says

8/28/2003

From: Mark Carpenter or Tom Finnigan of Citizens Against Government Waste, 202-467-5300; http://www.cagw.org

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 -- Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) blasted Congress today for burgling American taxpayers and racking up a projected $480 billion deficit. According to the Congressional Budget Office, annual deficits will accumulate to $1.4 trillion over 10 years, saddling future generations with $8.1 trillion of debt.

"Politicians are blaming the deficit on the war, the recession, the tax cuts, the opposing party, anything and anyone but themselves," CAGW President Tom Schatz said. "The true culprit is the uncontrollable urge of both parties to grab and spend other peoples money. Elected officials should be judged by their results, not by their excuses."

In the last three years, federal spending has increased 22 percent to more than $2.2 trillion annually. Defense spending increased 34 percent, an understandable result given the need to protect the nation after September 11, but non-defense spending increased 28 percent. The period from 2000 to 2003 marked the biggest spending spree in U.S. history. CAGW has made 543 recommendations that could save the government $180 billion immediately and $1.3 trillion over five years.

"Congress displays its fiscal arrogance by ignoring cost-saving measures and packing every piece of legislation with record levels of pork," Schatz continued. "Facing a certain deficit and a looming war with Iraq, members of Congress couldnt resist adding 9,362 pork barrel projects to this years budget, costing taxpayers $22.5 billion. That's a 12 percent increase over last year and a 337 percent increase over five years. Congress added another $348 million worth of projects to the War Supplemental bill. At the end of the day, they are more interested in protecting their incumbency than the fiscal security of the nation."

As the budget deficit keeps ballooning, so does the national debt. Even worse, 42 cents of every tax dollar goes to pay the $322 billion interest on the national debt, which is now also the governments third-largest expense behind Social Security and the military. Over the next five years, the government will pay $2 trillion of interest on the national debt.

"The bipartisan spending party on Capitol Hill proves that Congress has no fiscal conscience," Schatz said. "In the fiscal 2004 appropriations bill, there are already thousands of wasteful projects, such as $500,000 for trout genome mapping for the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture in collaboration with West Virginia University; $200,000 for berry research in Alaska; $250,000 for NASA to develop educational software for grade school students; $175,000 for the painting of a mural on a flood wall in Cape Girardeau; and $75,000 for a recreation pavilion at an RV resort in Douglas, Oregon.

"Passing on debt to future generations should not be used to finance wasteful spending," Schatz concluded. "The cost of government now consumes over half of the average persons income. Our children could be paying two-thirds or three-fourths of their earnings for the mistakes of long-dead politicians. Congress has betrayed the American people by demonstrating a willful disregard for future generations of Americans. Taxpayers must demand an end to profligate spending and mismanagement in government."

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.