Spending Cuts for the Next U.S. Congress

Government debt and wasteful spending is a constant subject on PolicyBlog and is playing a large part in this year’s elections. But one thing that isn’t so common is two research institutes from opposite sides of the spectrum coming together to identify spending cuts.

That’s exactly what a new study entitled: Common Ground: Bridging the Political Divide to Reduce Spending from the National Taxpayers Union and the Public Interest Research Group does. The report highlights over $600 billion in federal programs and operations ripe for reform. Among the suggestions are areas CF typically highlights at the state level:

  • Ethanol Subsidies- $22 billion
  • Corporate Welfare- over $1 billion
  • and Agriculture Subsidies- $35 billion

Other common sense cuts include ending $891 million to subsidize flood insurance for homes that are continually flooded. Another example is the selling government buildings that are utilized less than 25% of the time. The study also includes $11.7 billion to reforms Medicare payments, and suggests cuts in wasteful military contracts and programs.

For more on spending cuts in Pennsylvania, checkout a Taxpayer’s Budget 2010: Responsible Spending for Pennsylvania.