Today, in a speech on the House Floor, Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) called out the failed agency AmeriCorps for being a drain on taxpayers and a massive disappointment:
“This week, many people will be celebrating National AmeriCorps Week. I will not be one of them. AmeriCorps has been around for almost 30 years and in that time, we have learned never to underestimate the ability of the federal government to muck things up.
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“AmeriCorps is entrusted with $1.1 billion taxpayer dollars every single year. And every single year AmeriCorps proves it’s an expert at wasting taxpayer funds.
“For example, some AmeriCorps programs cost taxpayers four to eight times more money than programs that perform identical services.
“Even more concerning is the fact that neither Congress, the Inspector General, nor AmeriCorps itself have an idea of how taxpayer dollars are being managed. In fact, AmeriCorps’ financial statements are so bad they’ve not been able to be audited for the past five years.
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“…Senator Kennedy himself emphasized the importance of proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, noting during a 1993 floor speech on the establishment of the Corporation that, ‘Congress will not, and should not, fund a program if it is unsuccessful.’
“I agree with him. AmeriCorps has had 29 years to prove itself and the only thing it has proven is that it is a drain on taxpayers and a massive disappointment. This is a failed agency that needs to be overhauled completely or just eliminated.”
Watch her full speech here.
Original source can be found here.
