White House wants spending cut commission

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A new White House management reform proposal would create a commission able to shut down unnecessary and wasteful U.S. government programs.

The proposal was part of the federal management agenda unveiled last week by Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Clay Johnson.

Congress would have to approve the creation of a commission to review every federal program according to an agreed upon timetable and recommend whether a program should be retained, curtailed, merged with similar programs or eliminated all together. Programs recommended for termination would be shut down unless the Congress reauthorized them.

A mid-January review by the Congressional Budget Office found Congress appropriated more than $170 billion for programs and activities in fiscal 2005 whose spending authorizations had expired. That means, Roll Call said Thursday, Congress approved spending money for programs whose performance had not been reviewed -- with the largest payment roughly $27.9 billion -- going towards veterans medical care.

Under the White House proposal the commission, modeled on the U.S. military base closing panel created by former U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, would be comprised of individuals appointed by the president and congressional leaders.