February 3, 2004

**End the Chaos of Duplication and Overlap in Federal Programs**

Please Cosponsor H.R. 2743, the "Government Accountability and
Streamlining Act of 2003"

Endorsed by:

National Taxpayers Union

Americans for Tax Reform

American Conservative Union

Citizens for a Sound Economy

Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

*"\[O\]ur work has repeatedly shown that mission fragmentation and
overlap are widespread. Unfocused and uncoordinated \[federal\] programs
waste scarce funds, confuse and frustrate program customers, and limit
overall program effectiveness."*

-The Honorable David M. Walker

U.S. Comptroller General

Dear Colleague:

Through the years Congress has created federal programs to meet pressing
needs but has often lacked the 'big picture' perspective. The
unfortunate consequence is rampant overlap and duplication in federal
programs, and very few are paying any attention at all to the
far-reaching effects of poor Government organization. The above quote by
Comptroller General David Walker highlights the problem.

**For example:**

A simple examination of food safety in the Federal Government reveals
the extent of the problem. Twelve different agencies administer as many
as 35 laws that make up the chaotic federal food safety system, with no
single agency responsible for overseeing the entire program. Confusion,
duplication and waste, therefore, are rampant.

**Did you know that . . . ?**

> • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects ***pepperoni
> pizzas***, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects
> ***cheese pizzas***;
>
> • The USDA inspects ***open-face meat sandwiches***, while the FDA
> inspects ***closed-face meat sandwiches***;
>
> • The USDA inspects ***hot dogs in pastry dough*** and ***corn
> dogs***, while the FDA inspects ***hot dogs*** ***on a roll*** and
> ***bagel dogs***;
>
> • The FDA inspects dehydrated ***beef soup*** and ***chicken broth***,
> while the USDA inspects dehydrated ***chicken soup*** and ***beef
> broth***;
>
> • The USDA inspects ***beans with bacon***, while the FDA inspects
> ***pork and beans***.

This kind of needless fragmentation could have been prevented had
accurate information been available to Members before they voted on
these programs. The lack of information has resulted in problems with
food safety programs so extensive that many distinguished members of the
food safety community (listed below) support drastic reform and
consolidation.

**Former food safety officials see a need for consolidation of food
safety activities:**

> • The Honorable Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, USDA,
> 1995-2001
>
> • The Honorable Jane Henney, Commissioner, FDA, HHS, 1998-2001
>
> • The Honorable Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary for Food Safety,
> USDA, 1997-2001
>
> • The Honorable David Kessler, Commissioner, FDA, HHS, 1990-1997
>
> • The Honorable Michael Taylor, Administrator, FSIS, USDA, 1994-1996
>
> • The Honorable Russell Cross, Administrator, FSIS, USDA, 1992-1994
>
> • The Honorable Lester Crawford, Administrator, FSIS, USDA, 1987-1991
>
> • The Honorable Carol Tucker-Foreman, Assistant Secretary for Food and
> Consumer Services, USDA, 1977-1981

The goal of H.R. 2743 is to stop the proliferation of redundant federal
programs by providing Congress with information
***[before]{.underline}*** legislation is voted on by the full House of
Representatives or Senate. H.R. 2743 would require any legislation
passed by a Congressional Committee or Subcommittee to be reviewed by
the GAO to determine if it creates new Government programs. GAO would
then determine if any new programs overlapped with existing programs, or
if the function could be performed more efficiently in another agency.
The GAO determination would be included with the Committee report,
similar to the budget impact score given to legislation by the
Congressional Budget Office.

Please join us as a cosponsor of this legislation. Chris Barkley,
Professional Staff Member, Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency
Organization, can be reached at (202) 225-5147 if you would like to
cosponsor or if you have any questions.

> Sincerely,

/s Marsha Blackburn /s Jo Ann Davis

Subcommittee on Civil Service Chairwoman

and Agency Organization Subcommittee on Civil Service

and Agency Organization