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USA
Today
Boehner-led
cost-cutting saving
millions in the House
by Susan Davis
April 25, 2013
WASHINGTON
— The House of
Representatives will spend 15% less on its own operations this year
than it did
three years ago under a cost-cutting effort launched by Speaker John
Boehner
that is on pace to save taxpayers more than $400 million by the end of
this
year
When
Republicans took control of
the House in January 2011, Boehner, the new speaker, said cutting House
spending would be a priority.
Since
then, House lawmakers have
seen a nearly 20% decrease in their office budgets. Three years ago,
the
average lawmaker had an annual $1.5 million budget, which is down to
$1.2
million. Those budgets — which vary by office — cover everything from
staff
salaries to district office rent and bottled water.
The
cuts trimmed $58 million from
House costs in fiscal year 2011, $143 million in fiscal year 2012, and
are on
track to save $205 million through fiscal year 2013 when the
across-the-board
government spending cuts known as sequestration are factored in to the
savings,
according to Boehner's office.
The
operating budget for the House
in 2010 was $1.37 billion; that number has been shaved to $1.16 billion
for
2013.
Lawmakers'
salaries and pensions
have long been exempted from the budget ax, but the costs of running
the
435-member chamber have not been subjected to significant cuts since
the
mid-1990s.
"Believe
me, I am totally
aware that there is no sympathy for members of Congress. However, I
think we
should lead by example," said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., a
Detroit-area
congresswoman who chairs the committee that oversees internal budget
cuts.
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the rest of the article at USA
Today
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