Beware: Big Spenders Taking Over Senate Committees

Cal Thomas | Syndicated columnist | Published: Jun 07, 2001

Beware: Big Spenders Taking Over Senate Committees

Goodbye surplus! It was already heading for extinction when Republicans were in charge of the Senate. But the new Democratic committee chairmen have a record of big spending they are not about to end.

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation reports that when Republicans were in charge of the 14 most prominent committees in the Senate, they proposed things that would have saved taxpayers $12.3 billion per year. That included savings from fraud and wasteful spending on duplicate programs and programs that aren't working. Like too many who stay too long in Washington, Republicans caught the spending bug and their priorities shifted from saving $12.3 billion per year, to an increase in federal spending by $9.2 billion. Over that same period, Democrat senators now in line to become committee chairmen boosted their net agendas from an average increase of $5.3 billion to $36.6 billion, a total nearly four times higher than the chairmen they will replace.

President Bush was right when he said if the surplus is left in Washington, it will be spent. It was and it is. I hope you enjoy your measly tax rebate. You probably won't be seeing its likes again.

Beware: Big Spenders Taking Over Senate Committees