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Kentucky senator explains why he returned $600K from his Senate office budget to the US Treasury
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-- -- -- -- I grew out -- senate -- quoted as saying that -- if it happens to be a -- You're wondering if anyone in your hour's gonna stand up to the president and called his block the near terms of the ridiculous mess explain that.
Well what we've said all along is is that to sequester him over ten years is a cut in the rate of increase in even over one year -- a little blip we're spending goes down in some departments.
There are many ways you could do this without even really losing any jobs.
For example just not rehiring people when -- federal workers retire if you don't hire new workers replace them that -- about six billion a year.
If you were to pay federal employees.
About the same level you pay private employees that saves about 32 billion a year.
There are other places to cut you could cut foreign -- and half and save twenty billion.
So we have a list of savings that we can send the president -- -- understated and we could do this without laying anybody off.
I and that's your sequester program I guess it's it's -- -- sequester without layoffs is that how you and the -- -- title it.
Yes okay and this is something go ahead.
In in terms so what's the me just -- one of them but one that you mentioned.
Foreign -- cutting foreign aid and half to about twenty billion dollars -- comfortably view on one step further determine.
What foreign aid you would cut off because vornado has been very effective for us in in many parts of the world and achieving certain goals -- I'm curious if you've gone further.
And identified which foreign -- -- cut off.
I think there's some argument whether it's been effective a lot of for an -- been stolen over the years the Mubarak family in Egypt became very wealthy -- who are foreign aid.
In the end when people were rioting in the streets in protest in Mubarak's rule in protesting his martial law.
He sprayed them with tear gas city -- -- our foreign -- so I don't think the foreign -- necessarily -- us to the egyptians -- were riding against Mubarak.
For what I would say is I would start by cutting foreign aid from countries who are burning our -- and chanting death to America countries that don't really seem to be acting like our allies.
Well once again the large bulk of the cuts were talking about even larger than foreign aid.
Would be paying federal workers the same as you pay private workers if you brought that into parity.
You admit you save nearly the -- the entire amount that you need for the sequestered us.
What what the Fed are Stennis in all the discussion but sequestration.
And about where to cut where not to cut there's certain things that just don't understand for instance Department of Labor says that between July 2011.
And June 2012.
That four point nine billion it.
In improper unemployment benefits remain as unemployment fraud mean there's so mean.
Why why is not the discussion always identified these huge pockets of fraud we have in the federal government or waste.
You would think.
You know we have a hundred billion dollars that's been said to be an improper payments to out government.
There's thought to be 25 billion dollars worth of improper payments just in the Pentagon.
And we have an audit of the Pentagon -- -- say they're too big to be audited the visiting going on decade after decade.
So what I say is good leadership wouldn't be putting a bunch a policeman behind you in saying.
Oh I'm gonna let these policeman go when in fact policeman -- paid.
98% of them are paid by local taxes so I think if if we had good leadership in the country.
We've -- -- -- was coming for a year why did we not go ahead.
And have a freeze what we didn't replace any federal workers that would save six billion over the year we've been waiting for the sequester.
In any opposition to -- suggested they go and sequestration.
But allowed the Obama administration at the flexibility to move funds around so that they can accommodate those certain programs -- Project say thank are there by the right ones to pay.
Yes there's a way that the money can be moved around for example in the military that five point two million they spent on goldfish studying goldfish to see how democratic they -- and if we could learn about democracy from goldfish.
I would give the president the authority.
To go ahead and cut off five million dollars in gold fish studies I give him the authority to cut off the one point five million that was studied.
To study -- love beef jerky last year in the Pentagon's budget so yes I would give him more authority if he's willing to use it to cut off some of this nonsense.
But I don't really trust a lot of what's going on when I see him putting local fireman and policeman behind him in saying.
Well Republicans are gonna make them lose their job the sequester was his idea.
He signed it into law he's to take responsibility needs to act responsibly.
And -- given a list of cuts that he could do without laying off anybody so he should talk to us instead of sort of parading these pictures in front of us in trying to.
Imply something that's not true.
Right in the final question you gave back 20% of your senate budget to the treasury and you and other senators have both sides -- have done that do.
It was -- your full budget and returned it to the treasury.
Do you think that dead there's a way to encourage more US senators do that I I you guys spending way too much money.
Yes and I think it's a good example though -- I was able to save eighteen to 20% of my budget and not lay off anybody.
We had a few people who left for other jobs that we didn't replace but we watch our money wisely.
I have a bill that I've introduced into congress.
They would give bonuses to civil servants based on them saving money right now the end of the year civil service try to spend all their budget so they get at the next year.
What I would tell civil servants are if you have a twelve million dollar budget you save a million dollars I'd give you -- raise for saving money.
Senator thank you -- -- -- is there.
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