WASHINGTON, DC - In February of 2017, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) sent letters to the Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting information on studies and/or efforts to identify and eliminate administrative waste within the agencies.
The committee request was spurred by a Washington Post report from 2016 that revealed the Department of Defense was sitting on an analysis of back office expenditures that could have resulted in savings of $125 billion over five years without reducing personnel or laying off civilian employees.
Furthering the committee’s efforts to reduce government waste, increase accountability, and promote cost-saving practices across the federal government, Chairman Walden today shared each individual agency’s response with the other respective agencies. The committee will continue to work with these agencies to identify areas where spending can be streamlined.
