Vice President Biden Announces Over $2 Billion in Anti-Waste Measures at Cabinet Meeting

New Initiatives Led by Campaign to Cut Waste Will Save Medicaid Waste & Strengthen Partnership with States to Reduce Improper Unemployment Insurance Payments

WASHINGTON – At the White House today, Vice President Biden convened a Cabinet meeting to discuss waste reduction at federal agencies as part of the Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste. The Vice President announced a new initiative to fight waste in Medicaid that is estimated to save taxpayers over $2 billion, unveiled new efforts to track state progress in reducing improper Unemployment Insurance payments, and directed each Cabinet secretary to undertake a waste and efficiency review that will target unnecessary, wasteful, and inefficient federal spending.

“Today’s announcements on cutting waste in Medicare, Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance shows that we can make our government more efficient and responsible to the American people,” said Vice President Biden.  “If we’re going to spur jobs and economic growth and restore long-term fiscal solvency, we need to make sure hard-earned tax dollars don’t go to waste.”

Joined by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the Vice President discussed a new initiative to fight waste and fraud in Medicaid that will save taxpayers an estimated $2.1 billion.  HHS today released its final rule for the Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor Program, a waste-cutting program created by the Affordable Care Act. HHS projects the program will save $2.1 billion over the next five years, of which $900 million will be returned to states.  The new program is based on the successful Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program, which the Vice President announced has already recovered nearly $670 million to date in 2011 – increasing the taxpayer dollars recovered by nearly 800% compared to 2010.

“Today we are building on an already successful program that targets improper payments in our health care programs and recovers those dollars, making Medicare and Medicaid more reliable and responsible,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “We simply can't afford to see even one penny of our health care dollars wasted and expanding this program will help us reach that goal."

The Vice President also unveiled new Labor Department efforts to reduce improper Unemployment Insurance payments and hold states accountable for progress as part of the Administration’s comprehensive efforts to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis joined the Vice President to discuss the Department’s next steps in combating these improper payments:

• A New Transparency Initiative to Make It Clear Where States Stand: The Department of Labor is launching a new effort to clearly show every state’s performance on improper payments.  The agency unveiled an online map that will show citizens their state’s payment errors, which types of problems are driving its error rate, and the steps it has taken to address its rate.
• Comprehensive Turnaround Plans for High Priority States: DOL has identified six high priority states -- Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, and Arizona -- based on their high rate of improper payments. DOL is working with these states to ensure they develop a comprehensive turnaround plan to reduce their improper payments. In addition, high-performing states will be paired with these states to offer guidance and aid as the plans are developed and implemented.  High Priority states will be subject to additional monitoring and technical assistance until they achieve an improper payment rate under 10 percent and sustain that performance for at least six months.
• New Awards to States to Automate and Improve Unemployment Insurance Data Collection:  The Department of Labor today awarded nearly $192 million to 42 states toimplement waste-cutting initiatives and improve the Unemployment Insurance program, including upgrading technology systems to more accurately collect data and process claims. 

These steps build on other efforts to address improper payments the Administration launched earlier this year.

“The Unemployment Insurance system is a unique partnership between the federal government and the states. States bear the responsibility of operating an efficient and effective benefits program, but as partners the federal government must be able to hold them accountable for doing so,” said Secretary Solis. “These new measures, demonstrate our commitment to working closely with states to ensure the integrity of the system, turnaround underperforming programs and save taxpayer dollars.”

Finally, as part of efforts to cut waste and inefficient spending, the Vice President asked the Cabinet to report back on wasteful and inefficient agency spending on travel, auto fleets, publications, and office equipment and supplies, from cell phones to software, or in any other areas identified by agencies. 

The Vice President highlighted the Department of Homeland Security’s Efficiency Review as a model effort. Since 2009, the agency has identified more than $1 billion in cost avoidances and implemented 30 efficiency initiatives across the agency – from buying software licenses in bulk to using government offices for meetings instead of renting private space.  As a result of these savings and other ongoing efficiency initiatives, the agency’s 2012 budget request included more than $800 million in reductions.  As he did with the Recovery Act, the Vice President called on Secretaries to be personally involved in these reviews, and will hold cabinet members personally responsible for the performance and results of the process.

“Over the last two years, we have made an unprecedented commitment to efficiency in order to support frontline operations by building a culture of fiscal discipline and accountability throughout the Department,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Through the Department of Homeland Security’s Efficiency Review, we’ve taken a hard look at how we do business, and identified ways to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of limited taxpayer dollars we receive.”

As part of the launch of the Campaign to Cut Waste in June, the President asked the Vice President to take on a new role holding the Cabinet accountable for cutting waste in their agencies – part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to make government more efficient and responsive to the American people. The Vice President will hold regular Cabinet waste cutting meetings and is working closely with OMB Director Jack Lew and the Administration’s Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients to root out waste across the agencies and make government work for America’s families.

“We have made great strides in the last two years – shrinking contract spending for the first time in 13 years, identifying $3 billion in cost reductions from IT projects across government, and getting rid of property we no longer need,” said Director Lew. “Particularly now in these challenging fiscal times, it is critical that each and every Member of the Cabinet take personal ownership of aggressively rooting out waste and being vigilant stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Readout of President Obama and Vice President Biden's Meeting with President Basescu of Romania

This morning, President Obama joined a meeting between Vice President Biden and President of Romania Traian Basescu in the Roosevelt Room. The President also invited President Basescu into the Oval Office along with the Vice President.

The President noted the close alliance between the United States and Romania, and thanked President Basescu for his strong partnership. The President congratulated President Basescu on the U.S.-Romania Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement, which exemplifies the President’s commitment to strengthening NATO and ensuring allies have the capabilities to meet 21st century threats. The President also congratulated President Basescu on the U.S.-Romania Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century. Both of these documents were completed during the visit of President Basescu. Click HERE for full text of the Declaration.

The President thanked President Basescu for his leadership in NATO as the Alliance prepares for the Chicago NATO Summit in May 2012, and expressed appreciation for the sacrifices that Romanian soldiers have made in our common effort in Afghanistan and elsewhere. He thanked President Basescu for Romania’s critical contributions to the ISAF mission.

The President and President Basescu discussed the important role that Romania can play in supporting and advancing democracy, both in Europe and in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Vice President Biden welcomed the strengthening of the U.S.-Romania strategic partnership as follow up to the discussions he held with President Basescu during his visit to Bucharest in October 2009. The Vice President and President Basescu also discussed ongoing political and economic reforms in Romania, and our shared goal of encouraging stability in the Balkans. They also discussed their strong concerns about the situation in Syria and agreed to consult closely going forward.

Remarks by Vice President Biden at the Pentagon 9/11 10th Anniversary Commemoration

The Pentagon

10:00 A.M. EDT
    
THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  Mr. Secretary, it’s I’m the one who is honored to be given the privilege to speak at such an important memorial ceremony.

Admiral Mullen, Speaker Boehner, members of our armed forces and above all, the family members gathered in front of me who suffered such a grievous loss here 10 years ago today.  My wife, Jill, and I want you to know our heart goes out to you.

And those of you who survived that cowardly act, I say it again, I’m the one that's honored to be here with you.  To the family members, I know what it’s like to receive that call out of the blue, that the dearest thing in your life is gone.  I know these memorials -- and you’ve been through many -- are bittersweet moments for you because as you sit here right now, unlike a month ago, everything has come back in stark relief.  It’s not a thought.  It’s precise.  You remember that God-awful empty feeling you remember being sucked into your own chest, that feeling of hollowness.  So I want you to know that I personally believe that the courage you’re showing today is remarkable.  It’s hard to come back.  You have that sense of overwhelming pride and love and devotion, but also that feeling of “oh, my God.”

But I want you to know something else, your physical presence here today gives hope to thousands of Americans who under different circumstances are trying to come to grips with the losses that you had that they're going through.  Because when they see -- they see you here, you let them know that hope can grow from tragedy, and that there can be a second life.

My mom used to say, Joe, at everything terrible something good will come if you look hard enough for it.  In the beginning there’s no way to believe that.  You’re living proof to those people who are still scrambling and looking for that hope that it’s possible.

So let me say that our thoughts -- Jill’s thoughts, mine, the whole nation’s thoughts and prayers are with those who also were wounded in this attack last night -- wounded in an attack last night in Wardak Province, a stark and vivid reminder this war continues.  The courage, determination and the sacrifices of our forces in Afghanistan and around the world is literally astounding.  I’ll have a little more to say about that in just a moment.

Ladies and gentlemen, milestones are especially -- and especially those that are tragic -— compel us to reflect and to remember, to honor and, with God’s help, to heal because that's what this is ultimately about.

And so today, above all else, we recall 148 [sic] lives cut short on this site 10 years ago this morning -— lives that touched every aspect of our national endeavor: a Marine who lost his leg, and nearly his life, in Vietnam but who used what he called a “second chance” to become a father of five; a three-year-old passenger aboard that fateful flight, who held her stuffed “lambie” each night, as her parents read her bedtime stories; the secretary who worked for American Airlines for 45 years, whose colleagues considered her a second mother, and who dressed as Mrs. Claus each Christmas; the Navy physicist, whose wife said after his death: “He was a wonderful dancer.  I’ll never be able to dance with anybody else.  He was a perfect partner.  And above all, he was a good, caring and loving man.”

And so, so many others are remembered this morning with the moments of silence in small towns and bustling cities all across this country.  But nowhere are the memories more immediate, more vivid, more compelling, more real than in New York City; Shanksville, Pennsylvania and right here in Northern Virginia at the Pentagon.

Although words cannot ease the pain of these losses -— paying tribute by recalling not just the horror of that day but the heroism as well can hopefully give you some comfort and stiffen the resolve of this nation.

At 9:36 a.m., thousands of patriotic Americans were going about their daily business in the building behind me, in this great citadel of our national defense.  And one minute later, 9:37 a.m., an unconscionable tragedy struck.

But what happened -- what happened after that was far more remarkable than the damage inflicted in the building behind me. Those who worked in this building, many of you in front of me, and thousands more first responders across the region --firefighters from Arlington County, Fairfax County, Montgomery County, the District of Columbia and many others, they sprang to action, risking their lives so their friends, their colleagues and total strangers, people they had never met, might live.

From corporals to cafeteria workers, right up the chain of the command to the top brass, to Secretary Rumsfeld, who I pay special tribute today; I understand he is here.  Secretary Rumsfeld himself did what he did as a young soldier, a young man, and did all his life -- you and he and others streamed into that breach between the 4th and 5th corridors, where the devastation was the greatest, where death came in an instant, but also where there were survivors to be found.

Specialist Beau Doboszenski was a tour guide that morning, on the far side of the building -— so far away, in fact, he never heard the plane hit.  But he shortly felt the commotion.  He could have gone home -— no one would have blamed him.  But he was also a trained EMT and came from a family of firefighters. So when people started streaming out of the building and screaming, he sprinted toward the crash site.  For hours, he altered between treating his co-workers and dashing into the inferno with a team of six men.

Micky Fyock, a volunteer fire chief in Woodsboro, Maryland, 60 miles away, after working all day, when he heard that evening that the rescue workers at the Pentagon needed a fire truck -- a small fire truck, small enough to fit through tight places, he knew he had a ‘54 Mack, which was the smallest one around.  So fresh off an all-day shift, he barreled down the highway and battled the blaze all night with thousands of others.

And at dawn, exhausted and covered with soot -- with soot, 14 hours on the job, he sat on a bench and confronted [sic] a man -- a man who he said was wondering aloud, why am I still alive for had I not been at the dentist, I would have been in the office, my office, totally destroyed, with my colleagues gone.  Why me?

It’s a basic American instinct to respond to crises when help is needed, to confront [sic] the afflicted.   An American instinct summoned by the collective strength of the American people that we see come to the fore in our darkest hours, an instinct that echoes through the ages -— from Pearl Harbor, to Beirut; from Mogadishu to Ground Zero; Flight 93 to right here in the Pentagon.

Those in this building that day knew what they were witnesses.  It was a declaration of war by stateless actors -- bent on changing our way of life -- who believed that these horrible acts of terror -- these horrible acts of terror directed against innocents could buckle our knees, could bend our will, could being to break us and break our resolve.

But they did not know us.  Instead, that same American instinct that sent all of you into the breach between the 4th and 5th corridors, galvanized an entire new generation of patriots —- the 9/11 Generation.

Many of them were just kids on that bright September morning.  But like their grandparents on December 7, 1941, they courageously bore the burden that history had placed on their shoulders.

And as they came of age, they showed up -- they showed up to fight for their country, and they're still showing up.  Two million, eight hundred thousand of that 9/11 Generation moved to join our military since the attacks on 9/11, to finish the war begun here that day.

And they joined -- they joined knowing that they were in all likelihood going to be deployed in harm’s way -— and in many cases deployed multiple, multiple times in Afghanistan and Iraq and other dangerous parts of the world.

Those of you, Admiral, who command this building turned this generation, this 9/11 Generation into the finest group of warriors the world has ever known.

Over a decade at war, they pioneered new tactics, mastered new languages, developed and employed advanced new technologies.  They took on responsibilities once reserved only for those with considerably more seniority -— responsibilities that extended beyond the base or the battlefield to the politics of Afghanistan, to the politics of Iraq, to the economies of those countries, and to the development tasks that ultimately will lay the groundwork for us to leave behind stable countries that will not threaten us.

And along with the intelligence community and the law enforcement community, they relentlessly took the fight to al Qaeda and its affiliates.  They were prepared to follow bin Laden to the hell’s gate if necessary.  And they got him.

My God do we owe those special ops folks and intelligence guys who got him, many of whom have subsequently lost their lives.  But we will not stop -— you will not stop —- until al Qaeda is not only disrupted, but completely dismantled and ultimately destroyed.

And one more thing about this 9/11 generation of warriors -- never before in our history has America asked so much, over such a sustained period, of an all-volunteer force.  So I can say without fear of contradiction, or being accused of exaggeration, the 9/11 Generation ranks among the greatest our nation has ever produced.  And it was born -- it was born -- it was born right here on 9/11.  (Applause.)

And as the Admiral said, that generation has paid an incredible price -— 4,478 fallen angels in Iraq and 1,648 in Afghanistan, and more than 40,000 wounded in both countries, some who will require care and support the rest of their lives.

Having visited them multiple times like many of you, I am awed not only by their capability, but their sacrifice today and every day. 

The terrorists who attacked the Pentagon, as Leon said, sought to weaken America by shattering this defining symbol of our military might and prowess.  But they failed.  And they also failed for another reason, not just physically failed.  They failed because they continue to fundamentally misunderstand us, as they misunderstood us on that day.  For the true source of American power does not lie within that building because as Americans, we draw our strength from the rich tapestry of our people -- just looking at the people before me, looking at the families before me.

The true legacy of 9/11 is that our spirit is mightier, the bonds that unite us are thicker, and the resolve is firmer than the million tons of limestone and concrete that make up that great edifice behind me.

Al Qaeda and bin Laden never imagined that the 3,000 people who lost their lives that day would inspire 3 million to put on the uniform and harden the resolve of 300 million Americans.  They never imagined the sleeping giant they were about to awaken.

They never imagined these things because they did not understand what enables us, what has always enabled us to withstand any test that comes our way.  But you understood.  You knew better than anyone because you knew every time this nation has been attacked -- you particularly who wear the uniform -- every time this nation is attacked, you knew it only emboldens us to stand up and to strike back.

But you family members, you also knew something else that a lot of us didn't know that day, that your loved ones, those who you lost, who we now call heroes, were already heroes.  They were already heroes to you.

They were the father that tucked you in at night.  They were the wife who knew your fears before even before you expressed them.  They were the brother who lifted you up.  They were the daughter who made you laugh, and the son who made you proud.  I know.  I know in my heart, so do all of the people on this stage know, that they are absolutely irreplaceable -- absolutely irreplaceable.

As the Speaker heard me say yesterday in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, no memorial, no ceremony, no words will ever fill the void left in your hearts by their loss.  My prayer for you is that, 10 years later, when you think of them -- 10 years later when you think of them that it brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye.

My mom used to say that courage lies in every man’s heart, and her expectation was that one day -- one day it would be summoned.  Well, here, on September 11, 2001, at exactly 9:37 a.m., it was summoned.  It was summoned from the hearts of the thousands of people who worked here to save hundreds.  It was summoned in the hearts of all those first responders who answered the call.  For courage lies deepest in and beats the loudest in the heart of Americans.  Don't forget it.  We will not forget them.

May God bless you all.  May God bless America.  And most of all, may God protect our Troops.  (Applause.)

END
10:20 A.M. EDT

Op-ed by Vice President Biden in The New York Times: China’s Rise Isn’t Our Demise

The full text of the op-ed by Vice President Biden is printed below. The piece, published in today’s New York Times, can be read online HERE.

China’s Rise Isn’t Our Demise
The New York Times
September 8, 2011
By JOSEPH R. BIDEN Jr.

I FIRST visited China in 1979, a few months after our countries normalized relations. China was just beginning to remake its economy, and I was in the first Senate delegation to witness this evolution. Traveling through the country last month, I could see how much China had changed in 32 years — and yet the debate about its remarkable rise remains familiar.

Then, as now, there were concerns about what a growing China meant to America and the world. Some here and in the region see China’s growth as a threat, entertaining visions of a cold-war-style rivalry or great-power confrontation. Some Chinese worry that our aim in the Asia-Pacific is to contain China’s rise.

I reject these views. We are clear-eyed about concerns like China’s growing military abilities and intentions; that is why we are engaging with the Chinese military to understand and shape their thinking. It is why the president has directed the United States, with our allies, to keep a strong presence in the region. As I told China’s leaders and people, America is a Pacific power and will remain one.

But, I remain convinced that a successful China can make our country more prosperous, not less.

As trade and investment bind us together, we have a stake in each other’s success. On issues from global security to global economic growth, we share common challenges and responsibilities — and we have incentives to work together. That is why our administration has worked to put our relationship on a stable footing. I am convinced, from nearly a dozen hours spent with Vice President Xi Jinping, that China’s leadership agrees.

We often focus on Chinese exports to America, but last year American companies exported more than $100 billion worth of goods and services to China, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs here. In fact, our exports to China have been growing much faster than our exports to the rest of the world.

The Chinese leaders I met with know their country must shift from an economy driven by exports, investment and heavy industry to one driven more by consumption and services. This includes continued steps to revalue their currency and to provide fair access to their markets. As Americans save more and Chinese buy more, this transition will accelerate, opening opportunities for us.

Even as the United States and China cooperate, we also compete. I strongly believe that the United States can and will flourish from this competition.

First, we need to keep China’s rising economic power in perspective. According to the International Monetary Fund, America’s gross domestic product, almost $15 trillion, is still more than twice as large as China’s; our per-capita G.D.P., above $47,000, is 11 times China’s.

And while there is a lot of talk about China’s “owning” America’s debt, the truth is that Americans own America’s debt. China holds just 8 percent of outstanding Treasury securities. By comparison, Americans hold nearly 70 percent. Our unshakable commitment to honoring our financial obligations is for the sake of Americans, as well as for those overseas. It is why the United States has never defaulted on its obligations and never will.

Maybe more important, the nature of 21st-century competition favors the United States. In the 20th century, we measured a nation’s wealth primarily by its natural resources, its land mass, its population and its army. In the 21st century, the true wealth of a nation is found in the creative minds of its people and their ability to innovate.

As I told students in Chengdu, the United States is hard-wired for innovation. Competition is in the very fabric of our society. It has enabled each generation of Americans to give life to world-changing ideas — from the cotton gin to the airplane, the microchip, the Internet.

We owe our strength to our political and economic system and to the way we educate our children — not merely to accept established orthodoxy but to challenge and improve it. We not only tolerate but celebrate free expression and vigorous debate. The rule of law protects private property, lends predictability to investments, and ensures accountability for poor and wealthy alike. Our universities remain the ultimate destination for the world’s students and scholars. And we welcome immigrants with skill, ambition and the desire to better their lives.

America’s strengths are, for now, China’s weaknesses. In China, I argued that for it to make the transition to an innovation economy, it will have to open its system, not least to human rights. Fundamental rights are universal, and China’s people aspire to them. Liberty unlocks a people’s full potential, while its absence breeds unrest. Open and free societies are best at promoting long-term growth, stability, prosperity and innovation.

We have our own work to do. We need to ensure that any American willing to work can find a good job. We need to keep attracting the world’s top talent. We must continue to invest in the fundamental sources of our strength: education, infrastructure and innovation. But our future is in our own hands. If we take bold steps, there is no reason America won’t emerge stronger than ever.

As vice president, I’ve traveled half a million miles around the world. I always come home feeling the same confidence in our future. Some may warn of America’s demise, but I’m not among them. And let me reassure you: based on my time in China, neither are the Chinese.

Joseph R. Biden Jr. is the vice president of the United States.