WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is highlighting a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that identifies several major areas of duplication and overlap within government agencies, programs, and initiatives that could be streamlined to reduce wasteful spending and make government more efficient.

“The GAO’s report is absolutely eye-opening,” Senator King said. “I think most Americans would be shocked by the amount of money wasted by the government every year on duplicative programs and initiatives. This report just further underscores to me the need for Congress to take a hard-look at spending and take immediate steps to make government more efficient. I am committed to ensuring that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely and effectively, and I will continue to examine ways in which the government can be a better steward of the peoples’ money.”

The annual report released yesterday by the GAO is the fourth of its kind and identifies 26 areas of duplication that could save taxpayers $45 billion over five years. The GAO’s previous three reports identified 162 areas of government duplication and cost savings and recommended 380 specific actions to be taken by Congress and the administration to help reduce duplication, fragmentation, and overlap.

Senator King is a strong proponent of reducing waste and inefficiency across government.  Last year, he introduced the bipartisan Reducing Overlapping Payments Act which aims to protect Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance programs by reducing overlapping benefits.

He also introduced the Regulatory Improvement Act with Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) last year, which would create a commission to review outdated regulations with the goal of modifying, consolidating, or repealing them in order to reduce compliance costs, encourage growth and innovation, and improve competitiveness.

In addition, when testifying before the Subcommittee on Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce last month, Senator King announced his support for the Federal Permitting Improvement Act, a bill introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) that would improve the permitting process for major capital projects through better coordination and deadline-setting for permitting decisions, enhanced transparency, and reduced litigation delays.

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