WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, today announced he will serve as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. The Subcommittee is tasked with ensuring the federal government operates effectively and that tax dollars are used efficiently. The Subcommittee also holds jurisdiction over the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), ensuring the federal government is prepared to respond and assist states should disasters occur. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) will continue serving as Chairman. Peters will also serve on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), which is responsible for investigating the efficiency of government operations, compliance with federal laws, rules and regulations, and criminal actions that impact the national health, welfare and safety.
“Congress has a vital responsibility to ensure taxpayers’ dollars are being used carefully and that the federal government is running efficiently,” said Senator Peters. “Streamlining government and cutting wasteful spending are areas where members on both sides of the aisle can come together, and I look forward to working with Chairman Paul and my colleagues on the Subcommittee to help cut costs and improve government performance for Michigan’s hardworking taxpayers.”
Peters has made good stewardship of federal dollars a priority in the U.S. Senate. In 2015, he introduced a bipartisan package of bills to help reduce wasteful government spending and shrink the deficit. The two bills, called the Congressional Oversight to Start Taxpayer Savings Resolution (COST Savings Resolution) and the Expedited Consideration of Cuts, Consolidations and Savings Act, would help save taxpayer dollars and improve government efficiency by eliminating duplicative or overlapping programs and by requiring Congress to debate and vote on deficit reduction proposals in the President’s annual budget.
Peters also introduced the bipartisan Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act, which was signed into law in October 2015, requiring federal agencies to encourage the use of remanufactured parts in federal vehicle repairs. The federal government spends nearly $1 billion annually to maintain a fleet of approximately 588,000 vehicles. According to a study Peters requested from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), remanufactured parts are often less expensive than new replacement parts.
Most recently, Peters’ bipartisan Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiencies (MEGABYTE) Act was signed into law, which reduces government waste by improving the oversight and management of federal software licenses to save tax dollars.