What Does $3.7 Trillion Buy?

With the government borrowing 40 cents of every dollar spent, a rational person might think it is time to cut back a bit on the spending like most households, corporations and state and local governments have done over the past several years.  Our illustrious Congressmen cannot even figure out how to reduce spending by 1%.  The first place I would start looking at  is frivolous and wasteful spending as well as duplication of programs.  Can you identify any duplication or redundancy in the list of agencies?  Or any agencies that are no longer needed or seem frivolous or trivial?  Or any businesses that the government shouldn't be in?  I bet you can without too much difficulty.  Why can't our Congressmen and the Administration do the same thing?

·  Advisory Council on Historic Preservation·  American Battle Monuments Commission · Architect of the Capitol ·  Botanic Garden ·  Capitol Visitor Center ·  Constitution Center ·National Capital Planning Commission ·  National Cemetery Administration (Veterans Affairs Department) ·  Smithsonian Institution ·  White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance

·  Archives (National Archives and Records Administration) ·  Administrative Committee of the Federal Register ·  Library of Congress

·  Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) ·  Administration for Native Americans ·  National Indian Gaming Commission

·  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice) ·  Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury) ·  Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ·  National Drug Intelligence Center ·  Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

·  Bureau of Justice Statistics ·  Bureau of Labor Statistics ·  Bureau of Transportation Statistics·  Congressional Research Service ·  Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy ·  National Agricultural Statistics Service

·  Agricultural Marketing Service ·  Agriculture Department (USDA) ·  Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department) ·  Research, Education and Economics (Agriculture Department) ·  Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)

·  Agency for International Development ·  African Development Foundation ·   Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)

·  Federal Highway Administration ·  Department of Transportation (DOT) ·  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ·  Federal Transit Administration ·  Maritime Administration · National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ·  National Transportation Safety Board · Research and Innovative Technology Administration (Transportation Department) ·  Surface Transportation Board ·  Transportation Security Administration

·  Environmental Management (Energy Department) ·  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)·  Natural Resources Conservation Service

·  Farm Credit Administration ·  Farm Service Agency ·  Land Management, Bureau of

·  Export Administration (now the Bureau of Industry and Security) ·  Export-Import Bank of the United States

Below, how Big Government handles money:

·  Commerce Department ·  Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States · Commodity Futures Trading Commission ·  Comptroller of the Currency Office ·  Council of Economic Advisers ·  Department of the Treasury ·  Disability Employment Policy Office · Economic Adjustment Office ·  Economic Analysis, Bureau of ·  Economic Development Administration ·  Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ·  Economic Research Service ·  Economics & Statistics Administration ·  Engraving and Printing, Bureau of ·  Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity ·  Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board ·  Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council ·  Federal Financing Bank ·  Federal Reserve System·  Financial Management Service (Treasury Department) ·  Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission·  Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission ·  Government Printing Office (GPO) · Government National Mortgage Association ·  Mint (Treasury Department) ·  National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform ·  National Credit Union Administration · National Economic Council ·  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ·  Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ·  Small Business Administration (SBA) ·  Taxpayer Advocacy Panel ·  U.S. International Trade Commission ·  U.S. Trade and Development Agency ·  U.S. Trade Representative

And “health”:

·  Administration on Aging (AoA) ·  Administration on Developmental Disabilities ·  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ·  Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry · Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee ·  Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion ·  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ·  Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board ·  Civilian Radioactive Waste Management ·  Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled ·  Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ·  Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ·  Health Resources and Services Administration ·  Indian Health Service ·  National AIDS Policy Office ·  National Council on Disability ·  National Institutes of Health (NIH) ·  Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) ·  Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ·  Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department) ·  Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

And “Education”:

·  Education Department (ED) ·  Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) · Federal Interagency Committee on Education ·  National Institute for Literacy ·  National Science Foundation

And energy:

·  Energy Department (DOE) ·  Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ·  Energy Information Administration ·  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ·  Fossil Energy ·  National Laboratories (Energy Department) ·  Power Administrations ·  Science Office (Energy Department) ·  Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology ·  Nuclear Regulatory Commission · Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

And your food:

·  Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ·  Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services ·  Food Safety and Inspection Service ·  Food and Nutrition Service ·  Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration ·  National Institute of Food and Agriculture

And your retirement:

·  National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare ·  Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (now the Employee Benefits Security Administration) ·  Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ·  Railroad Retirement Board ·  Social Security Administration (SSA) · Social Security Advisory Board

And “science”:

·  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ·  National Ocean Service · National Weather Service (NOAA) ·  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) · Office of Science and Technology Policy ·  Office of Scientific and Technical Information

And the border:

·  Office of Refugee Resettlement ·  U.S. Border Patrol (now Customs and Border Protection) · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ·  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ·  Executive Office for Immigration Review

And this … this is how Big Government attempts to make everything better:

·  Arctic Research Commission ·  Appalachian Regional Commission ·  Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) ·  Chief Acquisition Officers Council · Chief Financial Officers Council ·  Chief Human Capital Officers Council ·  Chief Information Officers Council ·  Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee ·  Commission of Fine Arts · Commission on International Religious Freedom ·  Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements ·  Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) ·  Community Planning and Development ·  Corporation for National and Community Service · Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ·  Council on Environmental Quality ·  Delaware River Basin Commission ·  Denali Commission ·  Domestic Policy Council ·  Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ·  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ·  English Language Acquisition Office ·  Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) ·  Federal Consulting Group ·  Federal Executive Boards ·  Federal Geographic Data Committee ·  Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight ·  Federal Housing Finance Board ·  Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds ·  Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ·  Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service ·  Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board ·  Foreign Agricultural Service ·  General Services Administration (GSA) ·  Indian Arts and Crafts Board ·  Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission ·  Innovation and Improvement Office ·  Institute of Peace ·  Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group ·  Inter-American Foundation ·  Interagency Council on Homelessness ·  Japan-United States Friendship Commission ·  Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries ·  Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies ·  Joint Fire Science Program ·  Legal Services Corporation ·  Marine Mammal Commission ·  Merit Systems Protection Board · Millennium Challenge Corporation ·  Minority Business Development Agency ·  Mississippi River Commission ·  Morris K. Udall Foundation: Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy ·  Multifamily Housing Office ·  National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ·  National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ·  National Mediation Board ·  National Technical Information Service ·  National Telecommunications and Information Administration · Northwest Power Planning Council ·  Office of Compliance ·  Office of Government Ethics · Office of Personnel Management ·  Office of Thrift Supervision ·  Open World Leadership Center·  Overseas Private Investment Corporation ·  Peace Corps ·  Presidio Trust ·  Regulatory Information Service Center ·  Rural Business and Cooperative Programs ·  Rural Development · Rural Housing Service ·  Rural Utilities Service ·  Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation ·  Southeastern Power Administration ·  Southwestern Power Administration · Stennis Center for Public Service ·  State Justice Institute ·  Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement ·  Susquehanna River Basin Commission ·  TRICARE Management ·  Trustee Program (Justice Department) ·  Western Area Power Administration ·  White House Commission on Presidential Scholars ·  Women’s Bureau (Labor Department)

HT: Pajamas Media