{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-urges-federal-agencies-to-evaluate-duplicative-programs", "McCaskill Urges Federal Agencies to Evaluate Duplicative Programs", "2017-11-20", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Urges Federal Agencies to Evaluate Duplicative Programs \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator requests performance metrics from Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce   \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, November 20, 2017\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 After a top federal watchdog identified dozens of priority recommendations for federal agencies, including identifying potentially duplicative government programs, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is requesting information from two government agencies about how they are measuring if those programs really work. In a report from 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified dozens of programs related to \u2018entrepreneurial assistance\u2019 that could be duplicative and lack formal measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are being well spent. GAO followed up in 2017 on numerous recommendations that have yet to be acted upon.\r\n\r\nIn letters to the heads of the Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce, McCaskill is requesting information related to these potentially duplicative programs and asking those agencies why they have failed to implement GAO\u2019s recommendations.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe can\u2019t have dozens of potentially ineffective programs all working on the same thing,\u201d McCaskill said. \u201cEncouraging people to start businesses is a good goal, but if we\u2019re spending Missourians\u2019 hard-earned tax dollars on it, we\u2019ve got to make sure money isn\u2019t being wasted.\u201d\r\nProtecting taxpayer dollars has been a top priority for McCaskill as a leader of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Recently, the Senate passed a McCaskill-backed bipartisan bill to reduce wasteful spending on government technology purchases. The Senate also passed a McCaskill-backed bill making it illegal to spend taxpayer dollars on portraits of government officials. Earlier this year, McCaskill-backed bipartisan legislation to crack down on misuse of federal agency travel and purchase cards spending\u00a0passed the Senate. \r\nRead a copy of McCaskill\u2019s letters to Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon HERE, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross HERE. \r\nVisit\u00a0mccaskill.senate.gov/spending\u00a0to learn more about McCaskill's fight to cut wasteful spending in Washington.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-urges-federal-agencies-to-evaluate-duplicative-programs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5435987152159214, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}