Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) Introduces the SWAMP Act

Yesterday, I introduced the Stop Wasting our Money on Palaces (SWAMP) Act to help protect present and future taxpayers from increasingly burdensome federal government spending.

Our federal bureaucracy is so bloated that we have an estimated 120,000 to 400,000 buildings nationwide. Federal bureaucrats have no real idea how many buildings the American people own and that is obnoxious—it is unacceptable. Congress has a duty to reign this in.

Thanks to Bidenflation, Americans across the country are cutting their costs to help cover the drastic rise in prices on essentials such as gasoline and basic food items. Families facing this budget crunch must make hard choices and it is well past time for Congress to do the same. We must address the wasteful federal spending and our budget deficits. The Democrats’ desire to raise taxes is not the answer but will make matters worse.

Our debt is over 28 trillion dollars and continues to rise. The SWAMP Act is a commonsense proposal that would base federal agencies in areas where most of their work is located. Washington, D.C., is one of the most expensive areas in the country to run a business. There is no viable reason these agencies need to be based in Washington. They could easily be moved to areas that are more cost efficient and closer to their work.

For example, the Department of Agriculture should be in America’s heartland, near the farming areas the agency was created to serve. The Department of Energy should be close to the states where energy is actually created in this country. Centralizing these agencies in the Federal City does nothing but aid corruption, bloat the federal bureaucracy and enrich lobbyists. If some of these agencies are going to exist at all, they should be out in the communities they serve.