Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

WASHINGTON – Congressman Dennis Cardoza announced the passage of a congressional resolution today that is expected to significantly reduce fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of federal spending. House Resolution 40 was introduced jointly by Congressman Cardoza and Congressman John Tanner of Tennessee.

“Plain and simple, it’s time to audit the books,” said Congressman Cardoza. “This resolution will add another level of accountability by shining light on the most egregious cases of government waste.”

According to the resolution, each House of Representatives committee will now have the following requirements:

• Conduct one hearing within a 120-day period on the issue of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of funds by agencies that fall under the committee’s jurisdiction.

• Conduct an additional annual hearing each year if an agency’s auditors issue any disclaimers within their reports.

• Conduct one additional hearing if a program under a committee’s jurisdiction is listed as “high risk” for waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement by the U.S. Comptroller General.

The resolution is being hailed by the Blue Dog Coalition as a way to bring an unprecedented level of responsibility and accountability to federal spending. The Blue Dogs currently consist of 51 moderate Democrats. They have a joint goal of returning fiscal responsibility to the Congress.