Patronis Calls for More Accountability in Federal Spending

Escambia County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Congressman Jimmy Patronis says federal spending needs more checks and balances, and he's pushing for reforms that would give the government more tools to cut off funding when problems arise.

Patronis, a former Florida Chief Financial Officer who now represents Florida's 1st Congressional District, said too much federal money flows to states without proper oversight.

"I obsess over the amount of money that we spend, whether it be at a state level or at a federal level that comes back to the states with almost zero checks and balances," Patronis said. "We don't have the ability to ensure every one of those dollars is being used for its intended program use."

Patronis pointed to billions of dollars lost to fraud in Minnesota as an example of why reform is needed. He said the federal government should have the ability to stop sending money when fraud is discovered.

"My attitude is wait, stop sending when you've got a flare up like that," Patronis said. "Let them go follow direct appropriation saying, this is our program, this is our encounter data, this is the good we did with it. Can we please have this money? And then let the members of Congress vote up and down on it."

Patronis said he wants sunset provisions, clawbacks, and targeted funding bills with specific metrics instead of massive omnibus spending packages. He said Congress has made progress by passing 12 individual budget bills and using "minibuses" instead of one large omnibus.

"I just hate the way we spend money in Washington because this is something we're leaving to our kids, massive amounts of debt," Patronis said.

Patronis acknowledged the slim Republican majority will make continued progress difficult.