Executive
Waste of the Day: Duplicative Federal Commissions Waste $287 Million Annually
Citizens Against Government Waste identified $287 million worth of duplicative federal commissions, all of it wasteful.
If the federal government eliminated several duplicative regional commissions and authorities, it would save taxpayers $287 million annually, the Citizens Against Government Waste found.
In its annual report “Prime Cuts” 2023, is a list of recommendations to reduce the record national debt. The organization suggests eliminating regional development agencies, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority, the Denali Commission, and the Northern Border Regional Commission.
These independent agencies provide region-specific grants for infrastructure projects, economic development, and local capacity building.
CAGW pointed out that each of then-President Donald Trump’s budgets proposed the elimination of the Delta Regional Authority, the Denali Commission, and the Northern Border Regional Commission, stating that they are duplicative of other federal programs.
The FY 2021 budget noted that money for the three commissions “is set aside for special geographical designations rather than applied across the country based on objective criteria indicating local areas’ levels of distress.”
Congress created the Denali Commission in 1998 to build infrastructure in rural Alaska and multiple administrations have targeted it for elimination by. Then-President Barak Obama recommended eliminating funding in his FY 2012 budget, arguing that at least 29 other federal programs could fulfill the commission’s mandate.
Likewise, The Delta Regional Authority has also been frequently criticized. Trump suggested it be eliminated, while Obama called for a $3 million annual cut.
The Appalachian Regional Commission has received 14 earmarks for $414 million since FY 1995 for projects in Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The Denali Commission has gotten 31 earmarks costing $343 million since FY 2000, and the Delta Regional Authority has gotten 18 earmarks costing $178 million since FY 2003.
Why continue funding entities that don’t need to exist, when presidents from both major parties agree they’re unnecessary?
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.
This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-eff-ski) was the CEO/founder of OpenTheBooks.com. Before dedicating his life to public service, Adam co-founded HomePages Directories, a $20 million publishing company (1997-2007). His works have been featured on the BBC, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, C-SPAN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, FOX News, CNN, National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes, Newsweek, and many other national media.
Today, OpenTheBooks.com is the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. Mission: post "every dime, online, in real time." In 2022, OpenTheBooks.com captured nearly all public expenditures in the country, including nearly all disclosed federal government spending; 50 of 50 state checkbooks; and 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across America.
The group's aggressive transparency and forensic auditing of government spending has led to the assembly of grand juries, indictments, and successful prosecutions; congressional briefings, hearings, and subpoenas; Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits; Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports; federal legislation; and much more.
Our Honorary Chairman - In Memoriam is U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, MD.
Andrzejewski's federal oversight work was included in the President's Budget To Congress FY2021. The budget cited his organization by name, bullet-pointed their findings, and footnoted/hyperlinked to their report.
Posted on YouTube, Andrzejewski's presentation, The Depth of the Swamp, at the Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar 2020 in Naples, Florida received 3.8 million views.
Andrzejewski has spoken at the Columbia School of Journalism, Harvard Law School and the law schools at Georgetown and George Washington regarding big data journalism. As a senior policy contributor at Forbes, Adam had nearly 20 million pageviews on 206 published investigations. In 2022, investigative fact-finding on Dr. Fauci's finances led to his cancellation at Forbes.
In 2022, Andrzejewski did 473 live television and radio interviews across broadcast, major cable platforms, and radio shows. Andrzejewski is the author of The Waste of the Day column at Real Clear Policy. The column is syndicated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of nearly 200 ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates across USA.
Andrzejewski passed away in his sleep at his home in in Hinsdale, Illinois, on August 18, 2024. He is survived by his wife Kerry and three daughters. He also served as a lector at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church and finished the Chicago Marathon eight times (PR 3:58.49 in 2022).
Waste of the Day articles published after August 18, 2024 are considered posthumous publications.
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