http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/20/obama-seeks-m-cuts-cabinet-meeting/Cabinet Agencies Propose Cuts to Meet Obama's Call for $100 Million Trim
President Obama convened his first Cabinet meeting Monday morning and ordered his department chiefs to immediately cut a combined $100 million from their budgets.
From going paperless to eliminating multimillion-dollar contracts for companies that create logos, Cabinet agencies are laying out a number of ways they can meet President Obama's call to slash $100 million from the federal budget.
The president held his first Cabinet meeting Monday morning and ordered his department heads to draft ways to trim the federal fat.
The $100 million figure represents a drop in the bucket of the president's $3.5 trillion budget proposal, and would do little to erase the more than $1.2 trillion deficit that has become the rallying cry of fiscal conservatives.
But the White House released a list of cost-cutting measures Monday that marked a start to what Obama pledges will be long-term fiscal responsibility.
-- The Veterans Affairs department has canceled or delayed 26 conferences, projected to save nearly $17.8 million. The department will be using less expensive alternatives as well, like video conferencing.
-- The Department of Agriculture is working to combine 1,500 employees from seven office locations into a single facility in 2011 -- expected to save $62 million over a 15-year lease term.
-- The Department of Homeland Security estimates it can save up to $52 million over five years by purchasing office supplies in bulk. It also estimates it can save $3 million by ending consulting contracts to create new seals and logos.
-- Both the Department of Justice and State Department propose going paperless with specific programs. Doing so is projected to save $6.7 million on the Justice side over five years, and $1 million on the State side in the first year.
-- The Department of Education expects to save $2 million annually by reducing the number of computers provided to staff.
The president's first Cabinet meeting had a Hollywood tinge to it. Like the main character in the fantasy "Dave," Obama appears to be trying to work the nation's books in one swoop.
Obama is asking each department and agency chief for specific proposals for trimming their budgets. He says families are having to make tough financial decisions and need to know the government is spending their money wisely, too.
"If we're going to rebuild our economy on a solid foundation, we need to change the way we do business in Washington. We need to restore the American people's confidence in their government -- that it is on their side, spending their money wisely, to meet their families' needs," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, released while he attended the Summit of the Americans in Trinidad.
Obama wants his Cabinet agencies to report a collective $100 million in savings in the next 90 days.
To help achieve his goal of an efficient government, Obama announced the appointment of Jeffrey Zients, a founder and managing partner of the investment firm Portfolio Logic, as chief performance officer. Zients, who also will serve as deputy director for management of the Office of Management and Budget, will work to streamline processes and cut costs.
On that front, Obama gave notice he wants to act quickly.
"In the coming weeks, I will be announcing the elimination of dozens of government programs shown to be wasteful or ineffective," he said. "In this effort, there will be no sacred cows and no pet projects. All across America, families are making hard choices, and it's time their government did the same."
Obama also cited Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to overhaul contracting procedures and eliminate billions in wasteful spending and cost overruns.
The president praised Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Carl Levin, D-Mich., who are leading the effort in Congress.
Republicans have kept up a steady stream of criticism of Obama's spending, both of his $787 billion stimulus plan and his $3.6 trillion budget proposal.
"Earlier this week, President Obama said that we need to get serious about fiscal discipline by trimming waste in the federal budget," Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in the GOP address. "Republicans couldn't agree more. We want to work with the president to get our financial house back in order."
"It's irresponsible to borrow more than all previous American presidents combined. And it must stop if we want to get our economy moving again," McCarthy said. "When will all this spending and borrowing end?"
Republicans say that budget cuts are a worthwhile effort, but emphasize the size of the Democratic spending bills.
McCarthy singled out "the trillion-dollar 'stimulus' bill the $410 billion dollar 'omnibus' spending bill and the massive, fiscally irresponsible Democratic budget that doubles the debt in just over five years, and triples the debt in just over ten years."
Obama said he's determined to try to cut costs.
"That is why I have assembled a team of management, technology and budget experts to guide us in this work," he said, "leaders who will help us revamp government operations from top to bottom and ensure that the federal government is truly working for the American people."
Topic: After bankrupting us, obama boldly proposes spendings cuts... by 0.0029% (Read 751 times)