Congressman Doc Hastings

Washington, D.C., Feb 22 - I was recently chosen to serve as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. This Committee is charged with holding government accountable to taxpayers and has oversight of virtually everything the government does – from healthcare to the financial services industry, from government regulations to national security.

The Committee’s aggressive agenda over the next two years will work to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government, enhance an open and transparent government process, ensure that the needs of America’s taxpayers are put ahead of special interests, and improve our national security.

Americans deserve a more efficient and effective government that spends less and works better for them. They have a right to know that the money the government takes from them is well spent. But we’ve all seen reports on the news of taxpayer money wasted. With a debt of over $16 trillion, wasteful government spending needs to end now and hardworking American taxpayers have a right to know the government is spending their money properly.

Already this year, the Committee has held hearings on a number of issues related to spending. Preventing Medicaid and Medicare fraud and overpayments, reducing federal travel and conference spending, addressing excessive executive pay at taxpayer funded companies, ensuring transparency and accountability with direct assistance in foreign countries are just some of the ways we are looking to best address the billions of taxpayer dollars wasted every year.

I firmly believe that in this age of transparency, it is critical to examine the effectiveness of government operations on every level and identify vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, and abuse.

In addition to ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, I will serve as a watchdog and seek answers on a number of specific issues and policies implemented by the Obama Administration, how and why those policy decisions are made, who made them, and how it affects the American people, our economy, and our national security.

Last year, the Committee held hearings on the American border patrol agent who was killed in the administration’s Operation Fast and Furious and the Benghazi attack in which four Americans, including a U.S. Ambassador, were killed at our embassy in Libya. It is critical that in the aftermath of these and future tragic events, Congress investigates the facts and takes the appropriate actions to prevent future tragedies and keep Americans safe here and abroad.

As your Representative, I pledge to keep the Obama Administration accountable to the American people, ensure that decisions made by federal agencies are open and transparent, bring genuine reform to the federal bureaucracy, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent in the most efficient way possible.