Greg Walden: U.S. House continues effort to lead by example, reduce our own budget

Greg Walden: U.S. House continues effort to lead by example, reduce our own budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House has passed legislation to hold the line on its own budget, putting the House on track to save taxpayers $600 million since 2011. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) has been a leader in this effort, and issued the following statement after supporting the bill:  

“When House Republicans took the majority three years ago, we promised to reduce federal spending. And we led by example. One of the new majority’s very first actions was to pass my bill to reduce the House’s own budget. This demonstrated our commitment to ending the culture of spending in Washington, D.C.—an effort that continues today.

“This bill holds the line on funding the House. It puts us on track to reduce our own budget by 14% in the past three years, saving taxpayers nearly $600 million. It denies members of Congress a pay raise for the fifth year in a row. And it increases support for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) so they have the resources needed to investigate wasteful government programs like Cover Oregon. These efforts to reduce government spending will help grow our economy, create jobs, and leave our country better off for the next generation.”

In 2010, as the new majority took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Walden organized a team of lawmakers to look at every aspect of how the House operates, and make recommendations for reform. A key recommendation of this transition team was to reduce the operating budgets of House committees, leadership offices, and individual member offices. The very first measure passed by the new Congress in January 2011—authored by Walden—cut the operating budget of the House by five percent, saving taxpayers an estimated $35 million in the first year alone.

Today, the House passed legislation to fund the legislative branch for the coming fiscal year. This bill holds the line on funding the House, and puts the House on track to cut its own budget by 14% since 2011, saving taxpayers $600 million.