One Nation, a public policy organization dedicated to promoting commonsense legislative solutions, today announced it is endorsing Senator Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) End-of-Year Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The legislation, introduced earlier this week, aims to limit government agencies’ year-end buying sprees driven by ‘use it or lose it’ budgeting rules by capping spending in the final two months of the year at the monthly average for the preceding ten months.
OpenTheBooks.com, a nonpartisan good government organization, estimates the federal government wasted $53 billion in the final week of the fiscal year – on items like lobster, golf carts, and fine china – because of ‘use it or lose it’ budgeting.
Senator Ernst penned an op-ed this week on the legislation, saying: “Iowa taxpayers, and hard-working folks across the country, should be appalled by what these agencies rushed to spend their funds on.”
“Senator Ernst has been a champion for taxpayers by challenging government waste and bad spending habits. The End-of-Year Fiscal Responsibility Act will get rid of the incentive for government agencies to indulge in spending splurges at the end of their fiscal year. Senator Ernst has identified a rare win-win that both parties should get behind right away.” -One Nation Communications Director Jack Pandol