Marathon Pundit: Dold, Burr statements on Obama proposal to simplify government

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Dold, Burr statements on Obama proposal to simplify government

Gillson Park, IL 10th Cong. Dist.

Friday morning President Obama gave a speech about simplifying government. Here a couple of statements from Republican politicians about this development.

From Chicago's North Shore, Robert Dold (R-IL):

I welcome the President’s proposal for putting small businesses first and working to fix some of the layers of red tape and bureaucratic obstacles that face job creators today and I look forward to reading more of the details on this proposal. As a small business owner, I understand the frustration that so many have today with the uncertainty in the government. It can often take a dozen phone calls just to figure out if you are reaching the correct agency. Streamlining the federal government and making it more transparent and simple is key to saving taxpayer money and opening up opportunities and resources for small businesses, hard-working families and the like.

And Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) offers his thoughts:

In last year's State of the Union, President Obama pledged to shrink the federal government and eliminate government waste by proposing to merge and consolidate federal agencies. Yet until now, he has remained silent on the issue while Senate Republicans introduced bills that would dramatically reduce the staggering amount of money wasted annually on duplicative programs within the federal government.

Last May, I introduced two bills that would advance the president's proposal – a bill to consolidate the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce into a single, new agency called the Department of Commerce and the Workforce (DOCW), and a bill that would consolidate the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency into a single, new agency called the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). These bills would provide cost savings by combining duplicative functions while improving the administration of economic, energy and environmental policies by ensuring a comprehensive, coordinated approach.

We welcome the president back to the conversation, and look forward to Senator Reid allowing votes on these important bills that would initiate permanent reorganization of agencies.