Republicans "SHOCKED" They've Overspent our Budget!

You might think otherwise, the way this story is getting spun, but that headline is the truth.

The 345-page General Accountability Office report pinpointed 34 areas – from defense and job training to social services – where federal agencies, offices or programs have redundant objectives or are fragmented across several departments.

For example, there are 15 agencies that deal with the nation’s food-safety system, which the GAO said has led to inconsistent oversight and an inefficient use of resources. There are 80 programs across multiple agencies that focus on economic development.

“Reducing or eliminating duplication, overlap, or fragmentation could potentially save billions of tax dollars annually and help agencies provide more efficient and effective services,” wrote Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro, who heads the GAO, known as the watchdog arm of Congress.

Except...

Across the Capitol, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) suggested to reporters that little had changed in the past decade: He held up a 2001 report that found there was $200 billion in waste in the federal government.

By the way, that $200 billion mirrors precisely the amount the current GAO report estimates is overspent.

But here's the thing: of the past ten years, six saw Republicans control the House AND Senate, and eight saw Republicans control the White House!

Asking the Republicans to be budget conscious is like asking Charlie Sheen to give up one of his goddesses.