04.20.12

Sessions Says President Must Impose Disciplined Management On Dysfunctional Government

“Right now, the President needs a Solyndra rule, not a Buffett Rule: instead of focusing on extracting more money from the American people, he must focus on ending the abuse of taxpayer dollars and restoring faith in the operation of the federal government.” 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding scandals in the executive branch and waste of taxpayer dollars. He also called on the President to demand a budget from his Senate Majority: 

“The President is the CEO of the federal government and is responsible for running the entire executive branch. Essential to being an effective President is the ability to be an effective manager of an enormous budget, a multitude of agencies, and a massive payroll. Every executive staffer, department head, and agency official is ultimately answerable to the President and serves at his pleasure.

Like a private sector CEO, when the executive branch is rocked by scandals of waste and recklessness the President must step in and enforce discipline across the board. He must deliver a message to every manager underneath him demanding accountability from top to bottom. The GAO report identifying billions in waste, the Solyndra scandal, the GSA catastrophe, and the Secret Service affair collectively take on a greater meaning during this time of budget crisis. Right now, the President needs a Solyndra rule, not a Buffett Rule: instead of focusing on extracting more money from the American people, he must focus on ending the abuse of taxpayer dollars and restoring faith in the operation of the federal government. Critical to that effort is the need for the President to get on the phone with his party’s majority leadership in the Senate, demand they produce a budget for the first time in three years, and insist that it confront the financial danger our nation faces.

Until these steps are taken, the American people should not send one more dime in new taxes to this dysfunctional government."