WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens Against Government Waste today released its analysis of the House version of the fiscal year (FY) 2014 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill. The bill’s cost to taxpayers is $512.5 billion, a reduction of $28.1 billion from FY 2013 and $3.4 billion below the President’s request.
On June 12, 2013, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers stated, “This bill makes the hard choices to keep our nation safe, secure, and constantly prepared for whatever threats we may face. It provides funding to advance our missions abroad, to prepare and equip our troops, and to ensure the effectiveness of the world’s greatest military. And, given our current budget challenges, it reflects common-sense decisions that save taxpayer dollars wherever possible – without affecting the safety or success of our troops and missions.”
With all due respect to the chairman, CAGW has combed through the bill and found a few more opportunities to cut wasteful spending and save taxpayers money without compromising national defense. In this Spending Cut Alert, CAGW compared the FY 2014 House Department of Defense Appropriations bill to the 557 recommendations contained in its 2013 Prime Cuts database and came across three additional spending cuts that, if enacted, would save taxpayers $9.14 billion in FY 2014 and $39.3 billion over five years.
“The Prime Cuts database gives the public, the President, and Congress a very straightforward list of wasteful, duplicative, and outdated programs drawn from more than two dozen credible sources,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz. “All that is missing is the political leadership to eliminate these boondoggles.”
| Recommendation | 1 Year (millions) | 5 Year (millions) | ||||
| Cancel the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and replace it with F-16s and F/A-18s. | $8,500 | $36,100 | ||||
| Reduce procurement of Virginia Class Attack Submarines. | $100 | $500 | ||||
| Cancel the Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) Ships. | $540 | $2,700 | ||||
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
To learn more, visit www.cagw.org.
