The Quest for Proven Solutions to Our Spending Woes

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:57 PM

On IBD's Capital Hill blog, David Hogberg writes about this Tuesday's American Spectator/Americans for Tax Reform breakfast, which featured former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. Reports Hogberg:

There was, as ever, Gingrich’s strong sense of self-importance and his penchant for showing off his knowledge of history. Nevertheless, he was bursting with ideas (as he usually is) ranging from insightful to unlikely to confusing.

One of the ideas he is referring to (this one apparently deemed as "unlikely" in Hogberg's book) was to bring back the Byrd Committee, named after VA Senator Harry Byrd (D) and created in 1942.  He quotes Gingrich as saying:

“Grover (Norquist) and I are talking about the committee that (Senator) Harry Byrd established in 1942, in effect a ‘Disappropriations Committee.’ I think every state should have a committee like that in both the House and Senate. And one of the commitments the Republicans ought to make is if they (become) a majority this year, they’ll establish a committee on reducing government. Which the Byrd Committee did, and it had a real impact on eliminating agencies.”

Here is some more information on the committee.

While we agree with Hogberg that at least this current Congress is unlikely to resurrect this committee, which had subpoena powers and really did lead to the elimination of a number of programs and government agencies, we're still considering this type of committee a model for reform, and will be promoting the creation of such committees at the state level going forward. 

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