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Uncle Sam “Loses” $619 Billion

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Uncle Sam "Loses" $619 Billion
Faith in Government Hits All-Time Low
 

(Washington, D.C.) – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that federal agencies have been unable to properly account for the expenditure of $619 billion in taxpayer funds. The GAO survey reviewed the information provided by government offices to the federal website USASpending.gov, which was created to ensure taxpayers had timely and accurate information on how their money is being spent. According to GAO's findings, less than 8 percent of the data on the site was accurate. The legislation creating USASpending.gov was introduced by then-Senator Barack Obama in 2006. But ironically, the current administration has failed to implement it successfully.
 
The lack of accountability and the failure of government programs to live up to promises are likely among the reasons that trust in the federal government has fallen to a historic low. Just 13 percent of Americans now believe the government can be trusted to do what's right always or most of the time, against 86 percent who trust government only some of the time or never. These ratings are even worse than those of big business, which is seen as doing the right thing 17 percent of the time.
 
Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative released the following statement:
 
"When government grows too big and tries to do too much, it winds up wasting vast sums of money and doing little good, as evidenced by the government's latest report. When President Obama was a candidate, he assured the American public he would tackle the problem – promising to reduce federal spending and go through the budget line by line to cut out waste. Few people believe he has delivered on those assurances. Instead of doublespeak in which he pays lip service to the unfettered government waste but fails to act, it is time President Obama set the example.

It's time for leaders in Washington to work in a bipartisan way to limit the size and scope of government, so federal programs can be effectively managed to eliminate waste and deliver on promises. Elected officials should work to restore faith in government – and work in a bipartisan spirit to unleash private sector growth as well."

For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Brian Faughnan, 571-257-3309 or Steven Cruz, 202-578-6173