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Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz on the government’s wasteful spending.
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-- -- Right for more on -- scandal I'm joined by Tom Schatz the president of citizens against Yemen -- -- great to have you back good to see you.
Still -- you know look I wanna show some numbers here about the spending on this event which grew every single year.
And and we're what we're look at here it's not total spending.
It's just -- the margin spending.
Margin on that.
Additional -- strip frivolity 2004 spending was a little over 101000.
By 2010 it was a 188000.
What's going on here.
If no one is being held accountable than the culture is to just keep spending that's the same problem we have in congress.
There is no accountability for the waste.
The budget grows every year.
When they talk about cutting the budget it really means slowing down the growth in the massive spending here in Washington.
So if you were oversight activities meaning members of congress are then not paying attention how the money's being spent in the agencies nobody gets fired -- there's -- scandal.
-- there -- obviously wonderful people working in federal government on occasion it gets out of control as we've seen with this conference for GSA.
We'll talk you know I've spent some time in Washington I've covered some of these agencies and what you find out when yeah when you roll the bed sheet back.
If -- a lot of these agencies are run by the same people for decades and decades and decades so.
A new president comes and he comes with the top layer of management but the real people running -- been there for ever they have practices that they've.
Put in place and capped for a long time and you find a lot of it is really astonishingly old fashioned or or just not.
You know would certainly doesn't save money is it time that we dug down and really found out what the spending -- -- these organization.
-- the Government Accountability Office has found hundreds and hundreds of duplicative programs overlapping programs.
And -- the congress has been aware of those -- many years as well for example we have 209 programs.
For science technology engineering and math and yet we're in the middle of the pack worldwide.
The size of meth education.
The answer on Capitol Hill is off and let's go spend more -- and that's certainly true of this administration.
And it's not as exciting to say we're gonna consolidate those programs and save the taxpayers money.
But it takes piano has like this to help people to pay attention -- some of these headlines coming out of this particular example are so egregious.
And so obviously fraught there was no bidding for some of these contracts.
Some of the things purchased just seem outlandish -- -- of -- points you kidding me.
At what point do you sit back and say this just isn't mismanagement.
This is criminal.
That's a question for the Department of Justice or other investigators but this again is not the first time there was a lavish Social Security Administration conference down Arizona.
That was uncovered by a local reporter it happens in agencies -- lesser level.
The GSA for example in terms of the employee gifts went far above the limit those are the kinds of things that don't happen in the private sector speaking of profit sector practices.
But this individual Jeff Neely said well my goal is to spend as much money as possible because I'm more interested in the entertainment then.
I'm doing something now I'll save money having -- where they aired it.
Get things -- -- and have a good time performance is not an issue and I think that's the problem and the fact that he.
It will take so long to get him fired over this is another issue that needs to be addressed in terms of reform of the entire system how do you stop this.
I think congress has to stop that if they said to the agencies we are going to cut your travel budget and Europe conference budget by 50% of whatever the number is.
It would force them to do what other companies have done during these tough economic times.
Hold -- teleconference is we have the technology these days to do that free conference calling you can go online and get that.
So there it is simply better use of existing technology.
As as you mentioned people get stuck in these old ways and they hold these lavish events in person it's something that can be done easily save tens of millions of dollars.
REI I've got to tell our viewers hear your pig book comes out tomorrow tell us about that.
And if there's any little its negativity tell you give us that would be great.
-- I've been cornered all day asking those questions so a lot of people have to tune in tomorrow my Colorado Leslie Paige will be on Stuart -- show in the morning so.
In fact that will be one of the first times will be discussed at all right in the middle of the press conference so it at least Fox Business is getting a good lead on the whole thing.
Well -- I'm glad it's Stuart Varney your pig book -- obviously and you didn't say it but I well.
It tracks and brings together all the numbers on government wasteful spending and earmarks -- thanks for coming on the show tonight appreciate it.
Thank you -- For.
