141 
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SEC. 617. POLICY STATEMENT ON REDUCING UNNECES-
SARY AND WASTEFUL SPENDING. 
(a) FINDINGS
ON REDUCING UNNECESSARY
AND 
WASTEFUL SPENDING.—The House finds the following: 
(1) The Government Accountability Office 
(GAO) has identified dozens of examples of waste, 
duplication, and overlap in Federal programs. 
(2) In its report to Congress on Government 
Efficiency and Effectiveness, the Comptroller Gen-
eral has stated that addressing the identified waste, 
duplication, and overlap in Federal programs could 
‘‘lead to tens of billions of dollars of additional sav-
ings’’. 
(3) From 2011 through 2014, the GAO issued 
reports showing excessive duplication and redun-
dancy in Federal programs including— 
(A) 209 Science, Technology, Engineering, 
and Mathematics education programs in 13 dif-
ferent Federal agencies at a cost of $3 billion 
annually; 
(B) 200 overlapping Department of Justice 
grant programs with an annual cost of $3.9 bil-
lion in 2010; 
(C) 20 different Federal entities admin-
ister 160 housing programs and other forms of 
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Federal assistance for housing with a total cost 
of $170 billion in 2010; 
(D) 17 separate Homeland Security pre-
paredness grant programs that spent $37 bil-
lion between fiscal years 2002 and 2011; 
(E) 14 grant and loan programs and 3 tax 
benefits to reduce diesel emissions that obli-
gated at least $1.4 billion between fiscal years 
2007 and 2011; 
(F) 94 separate initiatives run by 11 dif-
ferent agencies to encourage ‘‘green building’’ 
in the private sector; 
(G) 23 agencies implemented approxi-
mately 670 renewable energy initiatives in fiscal 
year 2010 at a cost of nearly $15 billion; and 
(H) 18 separate domestic food and nutri-
tion assistance programs across 4 agencies at a 
cost of $90 billion in fiscal year 2010. 
(4) The Government spends more than $80 bil-
lion each year for approximately 1,400 information 
technology investments. GAO has identified broad 
acquisition failures, waste, and unnecessary duplica-
tion in the Government’s information technology in-
frastructure. Experts have estimated that elimi-
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nating these problems could reduce costs by 25 per-
cent or $20 billion. 
(5) GAO has identified strategic sourcing as a 
potential source of spending reductions. In 2011, 
GAO estimated that saving 10 percent of total Fed-
eral procurement could generate more than $50 bil-
lion in savings annually. 
(6) Federal agencies reported an estimated 
$125 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 
2014. 
(7) Under clause 2 of rule XI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, each standing com-
mittee must hold at least one hearing during each 
120-day period following its establishment on waste, 
fraud, abuse, or mismanagement in Government pro-
grams. 
(b) POLICY
ON
REDUCING
UNNECESSARY
AND 
WASTEFUL SPENDING.—It is the policy of this concurrent 
resolution that— 
(1) each authorizing committee of the House 
should identify duplicative programs and make rec-
ommendations as to which programs should be re-
duced or eliminated in its annual Views and Esti-
mates submission to the Committee on the Budget; 
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(2) the Committee on the Budget should ag-
gressively investigate reports of improper payments; 
and 
(3) Federal agencies should be held accountable 
for their inability to reduce such inappropriate ex-
penditures. 
SEC. 618. POLICY STATEMENT ON DEFICIT REDUCTION 
THROUGH THE CANCELLATION OF UNOBLI-
GATED BALANCES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The House finds the following: 
(1) According to the most recent estimate from 
the Office of Management and Budget, Federal 
agencies held $896 billion in unobligated balances at 
the end of fiscal year 2015. 
(2) These funds comprise both discretionary ap-
propriations and authorizations of mandatory spend-
ing that remain available for expenditure. 
(3) In many cases, agencies are provided appro-
priations that remain indefinitely available for obli-
gation. 
(4) The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 re-
quires the Office of Management and Budget to 
make funds available to agencies for obligation and 
prohibits the administration from withholding or 
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cancelling unobligated funds unless approved by an 
Act of Congress. 
(b) POLICY ON DEFICIT REDUCTION THROUGH THE 
CANCELLATION OF UNOBLIGATED BALANCES.—It is the 
policy of this concurrent resolution that— 
(1) greater congressional oversight is required 
to review and identify potential savings from can-
celing unobligated balances of funds that are no 
longer needed; 
(2) the appropriate committees in the House 
should identify and review accounts with unobligated 
balances and rescind such balances that would not 
impede or disrupt the fulfillment of important Fed-
eral commitments; 
(3) the House, with the assistance of the Gov-
ernment Accountability Office, the Inspectors Gen-
eral, and appropriate agencies, should continue to 
review unobligated balances and identify savings for 
deficit reduction; and 
(4) unobligated balances in dormant accounts 
should not be used to finance increases in spending. 
SEC. 619. POLICY STATEMENT ON RESPONSIBLE STEWARD-
SHIP OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The House finds the following: 
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