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Porker of the Month: Rep. John Carter
Watch CAGW's August Porker of the Month Video
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) Porker of the Month for cheering the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (BBA), which saddles taxpayers with more spending and debt. America is already $22 trillion in debt, and instead of addressing this fiscal calamity-in-the-making, the BBA is projected to add $1.7 trillion more to deficits over the next 10 years. The bill also ends the automatic spending cuts established by the Budget Control Act of 2011 and suspends the debt limit for two years. The BBA passed the House with Rep. Carter’s enthusiastic support and was signed into law on August 2. In championing the bill, Rep. Carter even cynically said its passage was good for lawmakers because it helps them by “not having to deal with [thorny budget issues] at election time.” For cheerfully piling a mountain of debt on future generations of Americans, Rep. Carter is the August Porker of the Month. Read more about the Porker of the Month.
CCAGW Launches Effort to Stop Student Loan Bailout
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) this month began a grassroots drive to stop a taxpayer-funded bailout of student loan debt. Paying off all student loan debt would come with a price tag of as much as $1.5 trillion – a costly slap in the face to every American who has scrimped and saved to pay back a student loan as promised. The plan is being pushed by many leading Democrats in Congress, including a number of presidential candidates. CCAGW members and supporters have sent more than 20,000 letters to congressional offices opposing a bailout to date. Tell your U.S. Representative and Senators that you oppose a taxpayer-funded student loan bailout!
CAGW Cheers Progress in VA Reform
CAGW this month cheered progress in the ongoing drive to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) so that it can deliver 21st century care to our nation’s veterans. Two years ago, the VA announced that it would adopt the Department of Defense’s (DoD) electronic health records platform, a commercial, off-the-shelf product. The announcement came after CAGW chronicled how the two departments wasted 17 years and $1 billion trying to develop a proprietary health records system that would allow the medical records of active-duty military personnel to transfer smoothly to the VA as service members become veterans. Late last month, the VA and DoD reached a key milestone toward achieving an interoperable health records management platform with the transfer of 23.5 million veteran patient records to a shared data center, which will enable the transition of these records to DoD’s system. This marks a significant step forward for the two departments in delivering seamless care for our nation’s service members and veterans. Read more about the VA's progress on “The WasteWatcher,” CAGW’s staff blog.
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